Bhubaneswar: In the past four years, 344 elephants have died in Odisha, forest minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia informed the assembly on Tuesday.Responding to a question raised by Lanjigarh MLA Pradeep Kumar Dishari, who sought details on the number of elephant deaths since 2022 and their causes, Singhkhuntia replied, “Of the 344 deaths recorded during the period, 15 were caused by accidents and 23 were due to poaching. The remaining deaths were attributed to natural and other causes.”The minister said Dhenkanal district reported 53 elephant deaths, the most, followed by Keonjhar (42), Mayurbhanj (39), Angul (39), Cuttack (37), Sambalpur (25) and Sundargarh (21).Giving the break-up on elephant deaths, Singhkhuntia said 93 died in 2022-23, 66 in 2023-24 and another 105 in 2024-25. In the current financial year, 80 elephants have died in various parts of the state.
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The minister said the govt has already put in place a series of measures to reduce elephant deaths and strengthen wildlife protection across Odisha. These include stronger anti-poaching action, intensified patrolling and surveillance in forest areas, and the use of modern technology and scientific methods to track wildlife movement and detect poacher activity.“Anti-depredation and anti-poaching squads have been deployed, while the Gajasathi programme is being implemented as part of the state’s elephant protection efforts. The govt is also offering incentives to those who provide information related to poaching,” the minister stated.Singhkhuntia added that a joint task force has been formed and coordination meetings are being held with the revenue, energy and fisheries and animal resources development department.
