The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) expressed worry about the increasing instances of human-elephant conflict in Odisha. The party criticized the state government for failing to safeguard elephant corridors, preserve forests, and manage wildlife habitats effectively. BJD Senior Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra highlighted the rise in human casualties, crop damage, and destruction of houses due to elephant attacks, particularly in districts like Dhenkanal, Angul, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, and Khordha.
Incidents of human deaths, crop destruction, and property damage caused by elephant encounters have surged in Odisha. Mishra attributed this trend to unscientific mining, extensive deforestation, and unregulated development projects in elephant habitats. These activities have led elephants to venture into human settlements in search of sustenance, posing risks to human lives and livelihoods. Official data revealed that Odisha’s elephant population was 2,103 according to the 2024 census, yet the state reported nearly 185 elephant deaths in the past two years, marking it as one of the states with the highest elephant mortality rates in the country.
Mishra pointed out various reasons behind the elephant deaths in Odisha, including electrocution, train accidents, poaching, dehydration, lack of fodder, and water scarcity within forests. The BJD leader emphasized the severity of the human-elephant conflict in the state, citing 171 human fatalities and approximately 500 injuries from elephant attacks during 2024-25. Mishra also highlighted the deaths of 523 individuals in wildlife encounters over the last three years, with 443 fatalities specifically attributed to elephants, alongside 264 elephant deaths during the same period.
Odisha currently records 17 human deaths per 100 elephants, the highest rate in India. Mishra criticized the inadequate utilization of funds from the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for elephant habitat conservation, conflict resolution, water resource management, and fodder enhancement. He advocated for legal protection of identified elephant corridors, scientific monitoring in elephant zones, fair compensation for affected families, and the establishment of district-level task forces for efficient wildlife management and public safety.
Mishra urged the state government to halt unscientific mining activities and forest destruction in wildlife-sensitive regions, emphasizing the need for proactive conservation measures and sustainable coexistence between humans and elephants.
