Bhubaneswar: The Forest department today revealed the outcome of this year’s elephant census in Odisha.

The elephant census of 2024 in Odisha has revealed that the state is home to at least 2,098 jumbos, said Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Susanta Nanda in a X (Twitter) post today.

The elephants were counted in 38 forest divisions in the state. The elephant population in Odisha has risen by 122 in comparison to the last such enumeration carried out in 2017. The state had 1,976 elephants in 2017, he said.

Of the total 2,098 elephants in the state, 594 are calves and juveniles. The jumbo population is almost stable with male to female ratio of 1:2.17, revealed the PCCF (Wildlife).

Odisha has 313 adult tuskers, 13 adult makhna, 748 adult females, 148 sub-adult males, 282 sub-adult females, 209 juveniles and 385 calves, said the Forest department.

The highest number of 239 elephants were found in Dhenkanal Forest division while the lowest number of three jumbos were reported from Rairangpur division, it added.

This year’s elephant census in Odisha began on May 22 and concluded on May 24.

The enumeration was done through direct sightings, drone footage and thermal imaging, said the Forest department.

Elephants are usually sighted in 25 of the 30 districts in Odisha. There is no presence of elephants in Puri, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Koraput and Malkangiri districts in the state.