Three day estimation of elephants using state’s landscape

BHUBANESWAR: Chief wildlife warden Susanta Nanda on Tuesday said the Forest department will conduct a three-day estimation to assess the elephant populationthat uses the Odisha landscape. “A study carried out by Prof Raman Sukumar of Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc-Bangalore in 2018 revealed Odisha at best is suitable to hold around 1,600 to 1,700 elephants within the safe limit. Nanda attributed the excess number to be a key reason behind shortage of habitable land and food for the elephants in the wild, high bacterial load among calf and sub-adult elephants and growing human-wildlife conflict in the state. The department is under pressure for a spate of elephant deaths in the recent months, primarily due to electrocution, accident and retaliatory killing, prompting Forest and Environment minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia to order a probe.