Bhubaneswar: A whopping 1,154 people were killed in elephant attacks in Odisha during the last 10 years, Odisha Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change Ganeshram Sing Khuntia told the Assembly in response to a question by BJP MLA Prashant Jagdev on Tuesday.
“As many as 1,145 human lives have been compromised due to elephant attacks in last decade – from 2013-14 to 2023-24,” Khuntia said in a written reply to Jagdev’s question in the House.
According to the minister, usually elephants don’t invade human territory. They, however, enter human settlement near forest areas in search of food or after getting separated from their herds. These instances lead to loss of human lives and loss of properties, including houses and agricultural fields.
At the same time, Khuntia also shared data relating to elephant deaths in the state. “As many as 719 elephants have died due to various reasons in Odisha the past decade. Of these, 41 elephants were killed by hunters or wildlife smugglers,” the minister said.
