Dolphin boom in Odisha’s Chilika lake

The population of dolphins in Chilika, India’s largest brackish water lake, and along the Odisha coast has doubled this year compared with last year.

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The State Environment Department released the final data on the dolphin census conducted in January and February this year, indicating a spectacular growth in numbers.

Three species were recorded during the census, with 544 Irrawaddy, bottle-nose and humpback dolphins sighted this year, compared with 233 last year.

The endangered Irrawaddy dolphins is mostly found in Chilika lake. Few were also sighted in the Rajnagar mangrove division.

The highest growth has been noticed in the case of humpback dolphins with a population of 281.

These humpback dolphins were not part of any riverine systems, so they cannot be identified as residential mammals. They were spotted travelling along the Odisha coast and the number is likely to fluctuate in the next census.