Archive · 11 Oct 2026
Odisha Sets Up 22 Camps to Protect Chilika’s Migratory Birds
Chilika is a lake where many birds come to spend the winter.
The Odisha Forest department has set up 22 camps to help keep them safe.
It has also arranged two mobile units and a control room.
People at the camps and patrol boats will watch for poachers.
The camps began work on October 1 and are expected to stay until the end of March.
The first birds may arrive next week, but officials say the timing is uncertain.
Recent rain has made the lake’s water level very high.
Last winter, a survey counted more than 1.1 million birds there.
The Odisha Forest department has established 22 temporary bird protection camps around Chilika.
Two mobile units and a control room were also set up to help protect the birds.
The camps began operating on October 1 and are scheduled to remain open until the end of March.
Officials plan round-the-clock lake patrols, using around a dozen boats to watch for poachers.
Last winter’s survey recorded 1,132,200 birds of 196 species at the lake.
- Who
- The Odisha Forest department and Chilika wildlife division officials.
- What
- Twenty-two temporary camps, two mobile units and a control room have been established to protect birds.
- When
- The camps began operating on October 1 and are expected to continue until the end of March; the first birds are expected next week.
- Where
- Chilika lake, Odisha.
- Why
- To protect migratory birds that visit the lake during winter, including from poachers.
- Protection camps
- 22 temporary camps
- Additional arrangements
- Two mobile units and a control room
- Camp operating period
- October 1 to the end of March
- Patrol resources
- Around a dozen boats for round-the-clock lake patrols
- Camps by range
- Tangi: 11; Balugaon: 4; Rambha: 3; Satapada: 2; Chilika: 2
- Previous winter survey
- 1,132,200 birds across 196 species, counted on January 18
- Previous survey breakdown
- 1,110,257 migratory birds of 106 species and 21,943 resident birds of 90 species