1145 Humans Killed In Elephant Attacks In Odisha In Last Decade

Bhubaneswar: Elephant attacks have claimed 1,154 lives in Odisha during the last 10 years, informed the Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change Ganeshram Sing Khuntia in the Odisha Assembly.

Answering a question raised by BJP MLA Prashant Jagdev on Tuesday, the minister said that from 2013-14 to 2023-24, as 1,145 human lives have been lost in elephant attacks in the state.

The minister said elephants enter human habitats near forest areas in search of food or after getting separated from their herds. During this time they cause human deaths, loss of properties and damage to standing crops in agricultural fields.

He also added that as many as 719 elephants have died due to various reasons in Odisha in the past ten years. Out of them, 41 elephants became prey to poachers and wildlife smugglers.