55 Tigers Die In Odisha During Last 10 Years: Forest Minister

Bhubaneswar, Sep 10: Odisha Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia on Tuesday told the State Assembly that as many as 55 tigers died in the state during the past 10 years.

The deaths were reported between 2014-15 and 2023-24 fiscals, the Minister said.

In a written reply to a query by BJP legislator Tankadhar Tripathy, the Forest Minister said 48 leopards and seven tigers died due to various reasons, including poaching, accidents and natural deaths in the last 10 years.

During the period, two Royal Bengal Tigers died of poaching, while three were killed in various accidents like drowning, slipping from mountains and infighting. One tiger died of natural causes. The reason behind the death of another tiger is unknown, he said.

In the past 10 years, as many as 21 leopards died due to poaching, four due to electrocution, two in train accidents, three in road accidents, five due to diseases and four naturally, he added.

Similarly, three leopards were killed in various types of accidents like drowning, slipping from mountains and infighting among the wild animals, while six leopards died of unknown reasons, he also said.

According to the state-level tiger estimation conducted in 2024, 27 tigers were found in Odisha, of which 24 tigers were found in the Similipal Tiger Reserve, while Keonjhar territorial and Keonjhar wildlife, Paralakhemundi, and Hirakud Wildlife have one tiger each. Besides, eight tiger cubs in the Similipal Tiger Reserve were also counted during the census, he added.