The census of Irrawadi dolphins in the Chilika lake, which was undertaken on Tuesday, was postponed as the count could not be completed on a single day as it is required.
A training camp had been held at Satapada near Brahmagiri on Monday evening in which senior officials of the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), State Forest Department, dolphin experts, a group of university students and environmentalists took part.
According to reports, the census began at 6 am on Tuesday by two teams, one in the northern sector of the lagoon at Balugaon in Khordha district and the other in the southern sector from Satapada in Puri district.
According to information, the number of Irrawadi dolphins in the lake is on the decline over the years. While 156 dolphins were found in 2011, the number came down to 145 in 2012. However, in 2013, there was a marginal rise in their number with 152.
In view of the alarming decline in the number of migratory birds due to lack of food and the effect of cyclone Phailin as was found during the recent bird census in the Chilika lake, environmentalists are of the view that this is also likely to have an adverse effect on the Irrawadi dolphins.