Bhubaneswar: Chilika lake, the largest brackish water lake along India's eastern coast, has re-established itself as an ideal habitat for Irrawaddy dolphins. Chilka lake abounds with 155-165 dolphins and 10.5 lakhs water birds, representing 105 different species. And for the first time, near-threatened ferruginous ducks and a group of Eurasian otters were spotted in the lagoon during the 2022 Flora and Fauna Survey in Chilika Lake carried out on February 1.
Chilika Development Authority (CDA) has been conducting an annual population estimation survey since 2003. This year, 156 dolphins were sighted with a good number of them in the Rambha Bay area along with the outer channel. The range of 155-165 was inferred from yearlong monitoring by CDA, the report said.
