Odisha's Chilika lake kicks off three-day dolphin census

Bhubaneswar, Jan 20: A three-day dolphin census kicked off this morning in Odisha's Chilika Lake, with 18 teams from the Chilika Wildlife Division deployed from Chilika and Satpada.

The census will take place daily from January 20 to 22, starting at 6 AM and continuing until noon. Eight teams from Satpada are focusing on the northern outer channel, while ten teams from Balugaon are surveying the central and southern channels of the lake.

The initiative also includes a group of volunteers comprising wildlife enthusiasts, students, researchers, and six members from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Equipped with tools such as binoculars, GPS devices, and sonic equipment, the dedicated teams will carefully monitor the waters of the lake to conduct an accurate count of the dolphin population.

"We will employ the line transect method, where several boats will launch simultaneously and travel parallel at a slow speed. When dolphins are spotted, details will be recorded," explained Pramod Kumar Sethi, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) for the Chilika Wildlife Division.

In a report presented in the State Assembly last August, Odisha Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Khuntia noted that the dolphin population in Chilika Lake and surrounding coastal areas stands at 743.

As the largest saltwater lake in Asia, Chilika is also recognized for having the highest single lagoon dolphin population globally. The annual census plays a vital role in monitoring the health and dynamics of these marine mammals, with last year's count recording 154 Irrawaddy dolphins and 19 bottlenose dolphins, highlighting the lake's rich biodiversity.