Six RBTs, 49 Leopards Died In Last 10 Years In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A total of six Royal Bengal Tigers (RBTs) died while three of these big cats were killed by poachers in different forests of Odisha in the last 10 years, the state Assembly was informed on Tuesday.

This information was given by Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Pradip Amat in a written reply to a question by Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati.

As per the data published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2018, there are now 28 RBTs and 760 leopards in different forests of Odisha, he said.

The state lost six tigers in the last 10 years between 2012-13 and 2021-22. Of them, three were killed by poachers, he said.

During the same period, the state reported 49 leopard deaths, of which 29 were poached.

About the steps being taken to increase the tiger population in the forests, the Minister said two tiger projects have been set up in the state. This apart, anti-poaching camps have been set up and special squads have been deployed in the forest.

Foot patrolling has also been intensified, while steps have been taken for the development of meadows to increase the population of herbivorous and control wildfires, Amat added.