Poachers killed 2 Royal Bengal Tigers, 12 leopards in Odisha in 3 years: Minister

Bhubaneswar: Poachers killed two Royal Bengal Tigers and a dozen leopards in forest areas of Odisha in the past three years, a state minister said on Tuesday.

In response to a query of BJP legislator Chakramani Kanharin in the assembly, the minister also said the skin of six Royal Bengal Tigers and 63 leopards were seized during the period.

As per the elephant census conducted in 2024, 2,103 jumbos are present in 38 forest divisions of Odisha, of which the highest of 291 elephants were found in Dhenkanal, said Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia.

The maximum number of elephant deaths (41) was also reported from the Dhenkanal forest division during the three years, he said.

According to the tiger census of 2023-24, 30 big cats were found in Odisha, of which 27 were in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), he said.

Singkhuntia said the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had conducted the last leopard census in Odisha in 2022, during which 568 leopards were found in the eastern state.

He also said for the protection of wild animals, the state government has taken several steps including establishment of anti-poaching camps, forest patrolling, tracking movement using technology and raising fodder plantations.