Bhubaneswar: Odisha has witnessed a rise in human-wildlife conflict, with 525 people losing their lives and 1,391 sustaining injuries due to attacks by wild animals, including elephants, over the past three years.
Forest, Environment & Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia disclosed these figures in the state Assembly on Tuesday while responding to a written query from BJP legislator Padmalochan Panda.
According to the minister’s data, the fatalities and injuries broke down as follows:
2022-23: 175 people killed and 408 injured.
2023-24: 186 killed and 445 injured.
2024-25: 164 killed and 538 injured.
Elephants alone were responsible for 443 deaths.
As per the data submitted by the Forest minister, Dhenkanal forest division recorded the highest number of human deaths at 92 over the three-year period, followed by Angul (54), Keonjhar (52), Baripada (36), Sambalpur (34), and Bonai (33). Odisha has a total of 43 forest divisions. On the injury front, Keonjhar led with 155 cases, followed by Dhenkanal (113), Khurda (87), Redhakhol (77), Khariar (66), and Deogarh (65).
In addition, human-wildlife conflict resulted in significant damage to human settlements, with 5,587 houses partially damaged and 1,050 completely destroyed. Agricultural losses were also substantial, with crops affected across 47,499.12 acres.
The minister also informed the Assembly that 264 elephants died in the state during the same three-year period, of which 132 succumbed to unnatural causes. Four royal Bengal tigers, 25 leopards and 1426 other wild animals were killed in different forest areas of Odisha, of which 447 were attributed to poaching activities.
The data also revealed arrests of 3,074 poachers during the period amid ramped up anti-poaching efforts.
To reduce human-elephant conflict, the government has installed 1,420 early warning systems across various forest divisions. These systems monitor elephant movements and provide timely alerts to local communities.
