Odisha has witnessed a marginal increase in elephant population over the last seven years, according to the All Odisha Elephant Census-2024 report released on Wednesday.
“A total of 2,098 elephants were counted in 38 forest divisions. This includes 313 adult tuskers, 13 adult makhna, 748 adult females, 148 sub-adult males, 282 sub-adult females, 209 juveniles and 385 calves. There were no elephants present in 13 divisions” , says the report of the State Wildlife Organization, under the Odisha Forest Department.
He said as many as 1,976 elephants, including 212 adult tuskers, 10 adult makhna, 816 adult cows, 122 sub-adult males, 276 sub-adult females, 38 of unknown sex, 203 juveniles and 299 calves, were tracked in the forests of Odisha during the last census of elephants made in 2017.
The Dhenkanal Forest Division, with 239 jumbo jets, reported the maximum number of elephants in the state. Similarly, as many as 178 and 138 elephants have been tracked in Athagarh and Satkosia Wildlife Divisions respectively.
According to the census report, although a marginal increase in the overall elephant population was reported during the state census, some forest divisions such as Angul, Athgarh, Dhenkanal, Baripada, Chandaka, Khordha, Bonai and Keonjhar witnessed a significant increase. in the giant population.
However, it found a significant decline in elephant population in Similipal North, Similipal South, Balasore WL, Rairangpur, Balangir, Parlakhemundi and some other divisions across the state.
“This may be due to a general change in the movement patterns of elephants in the state for foraging and a change in land use patterns,” the report states.
The Forest Department noted a substantial increase (around 40 per cent) in the tusker population over the last seven years. It also claims that Odisha has a large and well-established elephant population with a stable age distribution and a growth rate of around 3 per cent. “Elephant deaths over the past five years have been in the range of 3 to 4.5 per cent of the total population, the lowest during the last financial year of 2023-24,” according to the census report.
The Forest Department conducted the three-day area census exercise reporting on elephant movements across the state from May 22 to 24 in 48 divisions in 28 districts of the state. More than 5,700 employees of the Forest Department and various NGOs, researchers and academicians participated in the exercise.
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