The state of Odisha has witnessed an unprecedented spike in human casualties during encounters with wild elephants, reaching an all-time high of 149 deaths in the fiscal year 2023-24. This alarming figure has already surpassed the previous record of 148 deaths reported in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
The recent incident involved the trampling of a woman named Ituwari Bhadra by an elephant in the Bonei Forest Division of Sundargarh district on March 7. With 20 days remaining in the current fiscal year, the total count of human deaths has risen to 149, accompanied by 122 injuries in 249 encounters with elephants.
Wildlife expert Biswajit Mohanty, Secretary to the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO), highlighted the concerning trend, noting that Odisha leads the nation in human casualties from wild elephant encounters despite having a lower elephant population compared to other states. According to the 2017 elephant census, Odisha is home to 1,976 elephants, while states like Karnataka, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu have larger populations.
Between the fiscal years 2019-20 and 2021-22, the entire country reported 1,579 human deaths caused by elephants, with Odisha topping the list at 322 deaths, followed by Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu.
The analysis by WSO indicates that Dhenkanal, a hotspot for human-elephant conflicts, recorded the highest number of human deaths at 31, followed by Angul (24), Sundargarh (22), Keonjhar (18), and Mayurbhanj (10). The escalating human-elephant conflict in the region highlights the urgent need for effective mitigation strategies and conservation efforts.
