Odisha has lost 857 elephants in the last 11 years, with electrocution being the leading cause of unnatural death of the animal, the state assembly was informed on Tuesday.
The Minister of Forests, Environment and Climate Change Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said in response to a question in the Parliament that the death of elephants in the state is due to diseases, accidents, poaching and electric currents.
According to the statistics presented by the minister, 149 elephants were killed by electrocution from 2014-15 to 2024-25 (until December 2), while 30 elephants were killed by poachers.
The disease has killed the most (305) elephants while 229 elephants have died due to natural causes.
The minister said that 29 elephants died due to train collision. Similarly, seven people died in a road accident and two people died of poisoning.
The Forest and Environment Department has not been able to ascertain the cause of death of 90 jumbos. Besides, 16 elephants died due to the fight, he said.
93 elephants died in 2018-19, the worst year for elephant deaths in the period. 92 elephant deaths were reported in Odisha in 2022-23 compared to 54 elephant deaths in 2014-15, the lowest in 11 years.
Although 66 elephants died in the state in the financial year 2023-24, 67 elephants have died till December 2 of the current financial year.
According to the latest elephant census conducted last month, 2103 elephants were found in various forests of Odisha.