Chilika houses 159 Irrawaddy dolphins; Odisha records 765 aquatic mammals in 5-year high

The number of Irrawaddy dolphins in Odisha's Chilika Lake remains unchanged at 159 in the latest census by the wildlife wing of the forest, environment and climate change department, officials said on Wednesday. The count of the species in the brackish water lagoon was 159 in 2025, too, they said. Besides the Irrawaddy dolphins, Chilika also recorded 16 humpback dolphins of the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean species. In 2025, the lake had reported 15 humpback dolphins, officials said. In all, 765 dolphins of six species were sighted along the Odisha coast and in Chilika Lake during the population estimation exercise. These included 208 Irrawaddy dolphins, 495 humpback dolphins, 55 bottlenose dolphins, three spinner dolphins and two finless porpoises. Nine Irrawaddy dolphins have also been sighted in Bhitarkanika Marine Sanctuary, 12 in Puri wildlife division area, 13 in Berhampur division and 15 in Balasore wildlife division (15), it said. ''Odisha has recorded the highest dolphin count in five years at 765,'' state's principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) (Wildlife) Prem Kumar Jha posted on X. ''Strong conservation efforts, habitat protection and community participation drive a major milestone in marine biodiversity conservation,'' he said. The annual census in 2025 estimated 710 dolphins in the state, including those in Chilika. These included 188 Irrawaddy dolphins, 498 humpback dolphins, 16 bottlenose dolphins and eight spinner dolphins. Dolphin has been included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and categorised as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. Despite the population in Chilika remaining static, the lagoon continues to have the highest concentration of Irrawaddy dolphins in a single area globally, a forest officer said. Amlan Nayak, divisional forest officer of the Chilika Wildlife Division, said the sea mammal might have migrated to other areas, which could explain why its population remained the same as last year. In the Berhampur division, the Irrawaddy dolphin was not sighted during last year's count. This time, their number stood at 13. ''It is a good sign that the species has been sighted this time in the Ganjam coast,'' said Dibya Shankar Behera, assistant conservator of forests, Khallikote.