Bhubaneswar, February 18: The Odisha forest is home to as many as 2,103 elephants.
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Odisha Minister for Forest & Environment Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia informed it on Tuesday.
While responding to a question by MLA Prasanna Acharya in the Odisha Assembly Singkhuntia said, according to the latest elephant census conducted in November 2024, the number of elephants in Odisha exceeds 2000.
Presenting the district-specific population of the pachyderms, the Minister said that Angul district is home to 254 elephants while Cuttack district has a population of 132 elephants. Khurda district boasts a total of 83 elephants while Mayurbhanj district has the highest number, with 295 elephants.
The Sundargarh forests are hosting 179 elephants, followed by Sambalpur with 140, Deogarh with 107, and Dhenkanal with a significant population of 291.
Similarly, mines estate Keonjhar is home to 195 elephants, while Rayagada and Jharsuguda have a relatively small population, with just one elephant each.
On the specific query by Acharya centering on the average death rate per year, Singkhuntia mentioned that at least 81 pachyderms’ death reported per year. However, he underlined that the government is taking forwarding steps to minimize human-elephant conflicts that is on the rise.
