Odisha has released the final data on the dolphin census.
The population of dolphins in Chilika has doubled this year compared with last year.
Forest officials sighted 188 dolphins this year in Chilika Lake, up from 163 in 2020
Three species were recorded during the census.
The Irrawaddy, bottle-nose and humpback dolphins were sighted this year.
The 2021 dolphin census report also revealed that Gahiramatha is the home of the state’s largest population of dolphins.
Gahiramatha was declared a marine sanctuary in 1997 to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles in the Gahirmatha beach.
Gahirmatha beach is the world’s largest rookery of sea turtles.
Chilika is India’s largest brackish water lake.
Dolphins have been included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and categorised as ‘endangered’ on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List.