Bhubaneswar, Nov 21: As many as Four tigers, 430 elephants and 31 leopards were among 2,817 wild animals that died in forests across Odisha during the last five years, State's Forest Minister Pradip Kumar Amat said on Tuesday. 

Replying to a question by BJP member Kusum Tete in the State Assembly today, Minister Pradip Amat said that 430 elephants, four tigers, 31 leopards and 2,352 other animals died during 2018-19 and 2022-23.

While 639 wild animals died in 2018-19, 475 died in 2019-20 and 586 died in 2020-21. The state recorded 532 deaths in 2021-22, and 585 deaths in 2022-23, he said in a written reply.

Minister Pradip Amat informed the House that the animals died due to different diseases, train and road accidents, electrocution, poaching and poisoning etc.

The maximum number of deaths has been reported in the Dhenkanal forest division and Chilika Wildlife Division.

As many as 231 animals died in the forests of Dhenkanal while 220 died under the Chilika Wildlife Division.

Read: Odisha News 

On the other hand, different types of trees in 13,571.164 hectares of forest land have been cut down for non-forest works. The government initiated plantation in 15,749.930 hectares of forest land for afforestation purposes. The government has spent Rs 113.50 crore for compensatory afforestation during 2018 to 2022.

The Minister also informed that 40 per cent of posts in his department were also lying vacant.