Thrilling Two-Day Butterfly Expedition in Central Odisha

A two-day butterfly documentation expedition under Wiki Loves Butterfly Project in the unexplored and remote forests of central Odisha turned out to be not only scientifically rewarding but also packed with thrill and adventure — culminating in a heart-pounding encounter with a wild elephant in a forested tribal village. What could be more exhilarating, more adventurous, and more fulfilling for a forest documentation trip?

Day 1: Hindol-Badam Forest Range, Cuttack District

On the morning of July 26, 2025, we — two field documenters from the WLB team, myself (Sandip Das) and Subhajit Roy — reached Angul, a town in central Odisha. From there, we undertook a three-hour journey to Deojhar waterfalls, located under the Hindol-Badam forest range in Cuttack district, for our butterfly documentation mission.

The documentation yielded numerous important and common butterfly species. Among them, a particularly rare and noteworthy sighting was that of the Halpe hindu Evans, 1937 – Sahyadri Banded Ace — a species generally restricted to the Western Ghats of South India. Remarkably, this was the first recorded sighting of Halpe hindu from the Eastern Ghats region of Odisha, and even from the broader eastern and north-eastern parts of India, marking a significant extension in geographical distribution.

Day 2: Balikiari Reserve Forest, Dhenkanal district

The following day, we explored the Balikiari Reserve Forest, which lies under the Hindol-Satkosia Wildlife Range in Dhenkanal district, as well as parts of the Tikarpada Wildlife Sanctuary in Angul district. This phase of our expedition also proved fruitful, with a good number of species documented in these ecologically rich locations.

Unexpected Encounter: The Elephant Chase

While returning to Angul, we were informed by villagers that a wild elephant had intruded into the local agricultural fields near a forested village. As any wildlife documenter would, we took out our cameras and rushed to photograph the majestic creature. However, just seconds after capturing a few frames, the elephant turned aggressive and charged at us.

A sudden adrenaline rush took over as we, along with a few enthusiastic villagers, were chased by the angry elephant. Thankfully, the elephant veered off in another direction, allowing us to narrowly escape what could have been a disastrous situation. With our hearts still pounding and lungs gasping for breath, we finally boarded our auto-rickshaw and headed back to Angul, the memory of the adventure etched forever in our minds.