Odisha a safe haven for poachers, says environmental group

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As many as 316 elephants have been killed in Odisha over 15 years, from April 2010 to March 2025, by poaching. File picture | Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO), an environmental pressure group, on Saturday (October 3, 2026) claimed that not a single tiger or elephant poacher has served a jail sentence for the crime in Odisha, pointing to poor enforcement and lack of commitment of the wildlife wing.

Criticising law enforcement agencies for their inability to make any headway in their investigation into smuggling of five baby orangutans to Odisha, Biswajit Mohanty, WSO Secretary, said that even though more than a month has passed the real culprits are yet to be caught.

“Most of those arrested are released on bail within a few weeks and they go back to the same crime. Odisha has become a safe haven for wildlife traffickers and poachers because of weak enforcement. The wildlife wing has never treated wildlife crime as a serious issue that calls for intelligence gathering, enforcement and punishment of offenders,” he said on the occasion of a week-long celebration to commemorate National Wildlife Week.

“While five baby orangutans were left abandoned in Balasore in September this year, seven bear cubs were seen loitering beside a road near Gangapada on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in 2021. It is unclear how these orangutans, native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, and Asiatic black bear cubs found only in the Himalayas of India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, and Pakistan landed up in Odisha,” he pointed out.

These cases remain a mystery since the wildlife wing has failed to catch the smugglers, said Mr. Mohanty.

He said these two cases were only the tip of the iceberg, since wildlife trafficking in Odisha is rampant and includes exotic species and animals not found in the State. The real extent of the trade could be enormous, he said, as the wildlife wing was doing little to gather intelligence or enforce the law.

“About two decades ago, the Similipal Tiger Reserve had over 101 tigers and Satkosia Reserve had 12. Today, Similipal has just around 30 adult tigers while Satkosia Tiger Reserve has lost all tigers. The seizure of 21 leopard skins from one trader in Khordha district in April 1996 had blown the lid off the rampant wildlife body parts trade in Odisha. This was the largest ever seizure of leopard skins and the record is unbroken even after 30 years,” Mr. Mohanty said. 

“The last survey by the Forest Department, in 2024, estimated the leopard population at 696. A Forest Department report published in 2024-25 said only 56 leopards had died in the last 10 years, half of them in poaching cases. Since then, 15 dead leopards have been found, taking the toll to 71 in a little over 11 years,” Mr. Mohanty said, adding that the seizure of over 170 leopard skins during the same period was baffling.

As many as 316 elephants have been killed in Odisha during a 15-year period from April 2010 to March 2025 by poaching, he said.

“There is no truth in the claim that no poacher accused of killing tigers or elephants has served a jail sentence for the crime in Odisha. The conviction rate in wildlife crime cases is low, but systems are now being put in place to improve it,” said P. K. Jha, Principal Chief Wildlife Warden of Odisha.

Mr. Mohanty also said there may be instances where accused persons are convicted by lower courts but later exonerated by appellate courts.

According to sources in the wildlife wing of the State Forest Department, police officials have been roped in to strengthen chargesheets and ensure that wildlife offenders do not escape the clutches of law.

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