Bhubaneswar, Sept 10: Ganeshram Sing Khuntia, Minister of Forest, Environment & Climate Change, has said that as many as 48 leopards have died in last 10 years.

Presenting his written answer to a question by BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy Tuesday in the ongoing Budget Session of 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly, Sing Khuntia shared the data.

According to the presented data, 48 leopards have died in last 10 years, while seven Bengal tigers have died in Odisha.

"As many as 25 leopards have been killed by hunters or by the wildlife smugglers. Four have died from electric shocks, two in rail accidents, three in road accidents and six died after drowning in rivers or canals," the data by Ganeshram SIngh Khuntia revealed.

Earlier, the Forest Minister Ganeshram Sing Khuntia had revealed that 719 elephants have died for various reasons. As many as 41 elephants have been killed by hunters or by the wildlife smugglers.

The data presented by the Forest Minister, raised a serious concern over the Forest Department and forest rangers' inability or lack of responsibility to safeguard the animals.

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