21st December 2018


Odisha has become a graveyard state for elephants as 67 of them have died there in the last nine months, shows data released by Wildlife Society of Odisha (WSO), an environmental pressure group, on December 20, 2018.

This elephant mortality data shows that 18 jumbos died due to natural causes, 19 of unknown reasons, four were killed by poachers, nine were electrocuted by live wire, 11 by sagging lines and six elephants were mowed down by trains. These deaths were reported between April 1, 2018 and December 18, 2018.

This goes to show that 45 per cent of dead elephants were led to that fate by unnatural causes. Moreover, no reason has been ascertained for around 28 per cent deaths, some of which could also be due to unnatural causes. “It would not be unfair to conclude that more than 50 per cent of elephant deaths occurred due to unnatural causes,” says Biswajit Mohanty, secretary, WSO.

Another matter of concern is that adult breeding male elephants form a majority among those who died of unnatural causes. “Odisha loses 18-20 such adult male elephants every year threatening the health and sustainability of its elephant population. 

Read full story here