A 2026 census in Odisha recorded 765 dolphins in the State's marine and estuarine waters, its best tally in the past five years. Chilika Lake was home to 159 Irrawaddy dolphins, making it the single area with the densest concentration of the animals. The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, meanwhile, accounted for 474 humpback dolphins, the largest number recorded for any one species anywhere in Odisha. Together, the figures from Chilika and Gahirmatha made up a large share of the overall count reported in the State's latest dolphin census.