Odisha Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia informed the State Assembly on Tuesday that over 800 wild animals have been poached in the state over the last five years.
In a written response to a query from BJP legislator Sanjali Murmu, the minister revealed that out of 2,836 total deaths of elephants, tigers, and other wild animals between 2020-21 and 2024-25, 808 were attributed to poaching.
The data provided by the Minister for Forest, Environment, and Climate Change revealed that 586 wild animals died in 2020-21 due to various causes, including illegal hunting and accidents.
Altogether 532 animal deaths were reported in various forests of Odisha in 2021-22.
The state registered the animal deaths of 585, 541 and 592 in the three subsequent years, respectively.
The minister informed the House that 164 wild animals were electrocuted to death between 2020-21 and 2024-25 in Odisha, while 347 succumbed to various diseases during these five years.
A total of 36 wild animals were killed by speeding trains, and 89 died in road accidents. Additionally, one death was attributed to poisoning, 263 to various other accidents, and 17 animals perished during territorial infighting, said Singkhuntia.
Disturbingly, the Forest and Environment Department remains unaware of the specific causes of death for 671 wild animals reported over the last five years.
Minister Singkhuntia noted that a total of 15,731.41 hectares of forest land were diverted for non-forestry projects during the last five-year period. To offset this loss, the state has identified and handed over 22,194.49 hectares to the Forest Department for compensatory afforestation.
So far, compensatory afforestation has been carried out over 11,044.86 hectares of land with a cost of Rs 141.61 crore, Singkhuntia said.
