Annual Dolphin Census at Chilika and Gahirmatha

Bhubaneswar: The annual dolphin census is underway in Odisha’s Chilika Lake and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary on Saturday.

The census of dolphins started in Chilika Lake at 6 am. It will continue for three days in the Balugaon Wildlife Division.  Eighteen teams including senior officials of the State Forest Department, wildlife experts, OUAT students, boat associates, CDA, and other volunteers are taking part in this dolphin enumeration in the Chilika Lake.

Similarly, the dolphin census in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district is being conducted by 9 teams.

Each dolphin census team comprises 8-10 people and experts. They have been trained to use videography, photography, binoculars, and GPS for dolphin enumeration.

In 2023, at least 173 dolphins were located in the Chilika Lake. They included 154 Irrawaddy dolphins and 19 bottle-nose dolphins.