34 leopards, three tigers died in Odisha from 2019 to 2024: Minister

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia on Tuesday informed the state assembly that 34 leopards and three Royal Bengal Tigers have died in the state died due to various reasons from 2019 to 2024.

Of the 34 leopards, 17 were killed by poachers, three died after being electrocuted, one in train accident, three in road accident, and three due to diseases, the minister said, while replying to a question from Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati.

Similarly, four leopards died due to natural causes, while the reasons behind the deaths of another three leopards were not yet known, he said.

He informed the House that one Royal Bengal Tiger was killed by poachers and another died due to infighting among the tigers, while the government is unaware of the reason behind the death of another tiger reported during the period.

According to the Odisha Tiger Estimation report, there were 30 Royal Bengal Tigers in the state, and of those 27 were in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR).

Similarly, 696 leopards were enumerated in different forest areas of the state during all Odisha Leopard Estimation, 2024, the minister added.