Wildlife in Orissa

A white tiger or a sharp leopard trying to befriend you, a pack of wild elephants staring at you, gigantic crocodiles pouncing towards you for food, Olive Ridley Turtles resting on the grass tract and the dissonance of Siberian migrant birds in winter are some of the common sights during a wildlife tour to Orissa. A wide variety of fauna is found in Orissa owing to the environmental factors. In addition to this, vast tracts of land have been declared as protected areas for these life forms thus alienating the latter from the devastating ways of humanity.

Housing a considerable number of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, the state has proved to be a pleasurable haven to the nature lovers. With Similipal National Park and Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary being acclaimed internationally, the state has dedicated around 4.1% of its total area to the wildlife protection drive. Some of the other popular sanctuaries in Orissa include Gahirmatha, Chilka, Sunabeda, Kotagarh, Karlapat and Debrigarh sanctuaries.

One of the rare breeds of animals namely the white tigers have also been breeding successfully in the state. Orissa has also been a potential breeding ground for black panthers and gharials. A total of 110 species of reptiles including 3 species of crocodile, 19 species of amphibians, 473 species of birds and 86 species of mammals are found in the state.The fauna of the region includes Deer, Sambar, Black Panthers, Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Hyena, Wildboar, Bear, Porcupine, Reptiles, Blackbuck, Monkey, Squirrel, Jungle Cat, Hyena, Jackel, Karanja Lizards, Chameleon and Mangoose.