Bhubaneswar, April 23: As many as 65 elephants and 35 tigers, including two Royal Bengal Tigers, were killed in Odisha last year, according to forest department data. Unrestrained poaching is the main reason behind death of the wild animals.
According to reports, fifteen elephants were killed due to electrocution in 2023-24, five in train accident, one in road accident, nine by poachers and reason behind death of eight others is unknown.
Similarly, the forest department and Special Task Force (STF) seized 35 tiger hides last year. The forest department said 27 tigers met natural death while wildlife experts opined that many of them were poached.
Be it elephants, leopards and other animals, poaching tops the list of biggest threat to the lives of wildlife in Odisha.
It is suspected that an interstate racket is involved in smuggling of animal skins, tooth and horns from Odisha through multiple channels to different parts of the country and even abroad, said wildlife experts.
