Odisha wildlife group alleges weak enforcement against poaching

The Wildlife Society of Orissa has accused Odisha’s wildlife authorities of weak enforcement, alleging that poachers and traffickers are not being effectively prosecuted. The environmental group said on Saturday that no tiger or elephant poacher had served a jail sentence in Odisha. Its secretary, Biswajit Mohanty, said most accused people were released on bail within weeks and could return to wildlife crime.

Mohanty also criticised the investigation into the smuggling of five baby orangutans to Odisha. More than a month after the animals were abandoned in Balasore, he said, the alleged traffickers had not been caught. The group said the orangutan case was part of a wider problem involving exotic species and animals not native to Odisha.

Mohanty also referred to seven bear cubs found near a road outside Bhubaneswar in 2021, saying the circumstances of both cases remained unclear. He cited official and historical figures to illustrate the concern. According to him, 316 elephants were killed by poaching in Odisha between April 2010 and March 2025.

He also said the Similipal Tiger Reserve’s tiger population had fallen from more than 101 about two decades ago to around 30 adults, while Satkosia had lost all its tigers. Mohanty questioned the significance of more than 170 leopard skins seized during a period when a Forest Department estimate put the State’s leopard population at 696. He also referred to 71 leopard deaths recorded over a little more than 11 years, including cases attributed to poaching.

Principal Chief Wildlife Warden P. K. Jha rejected the claim that no accused tiger or elephant poacher had served a sentence.

He acknowledged that the conviction rate in wildlife crime cases was low but said systems were being introduced to improve it. Forest Department sources said police officers had been brought in to strengthen chargesheets and reduce the possibility of offenders escaping prosecution.