Odisha Houses 27 Tigers, 2,098 Elephants: Minister Informs in Assembly

Bhubaneswar: A total of 2,098 elephants and 27 tigers are living in Odisha, informed the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia in the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday.

Replying to a question from BJD MLA from Rajnagar Dhruba Charan Sahoo, the minister said that as per the census conducted in 2024, the state has 2,098 wild elephants and 27 tigers. The Bhitarkanika National Park has 1,850 saltwater crocodiles, while the Mahanadi River system has 257 mugger crocodiles and 14 gharial crocodiles.

The mugger crocodiles are found in Satkosia (97), river systems of Similipal Tiger Reserve (76) and Ghodahada Reservoir, Digapahandi, Ganjam (84), the minister said.

The Odisha government has also estimated that 3.01 lakh Olive Ridley sea turtles were in Gahirmatha during the last nesting season.

This apart, 743 dolphins are found in the entire coastal Odisha, including the Chilika lake.

The government has counted more than 15.92 lakh migratory birds of different species in Chilika Lagoon, Bhitarkanika Mangrove Wetland and Hirakud reservoir, Khuntia told the state Assembly.