ECO - "Earth Crusaders Organisation"

12/01/2026

On the 9th Foundation Day of Earth Crusaders, our deepest gratitude goes to you—our supporters. This milestone is as much yours as it is ours. For nearly a decade, your belief in our mission has empowered us to advocate for the animals and implement vital environmental solutions. Your contributions have turned vision into action, protecting ecosystems and inspiring community change.

As we celebrate nine years of impact, we recognize that our progress is fueled by your generosity and trust. Thank you for being a vital part of our journey toward a greener, more sustainable world.

A Big Thank you..!

Team Earth Crusaders

12/08/2025

On Occasion of International Elephant Day, ECO in collaboration with Redhakhol Forest Division organised Sambalpur Circle's First ever Media Workshop to promote harmony and bridging gaps with community - forest department by healthy dialogues as well as focusing safety of media personnels covering stories of the wild animals in ground.

This event was organised to ensure best practices for wildlife journalism through using neutral words selection to address sensitive wildlife issues, promoting and covering positive stories from forest.

The event was inaugurated by the chief guest Shri T. Ashok Kumar (RCCF, Sambalpur) in presence of DFO Redhakhol Dr. Elavarasan K. This event saw footfall of 20 print and electronic media people from 17 agencies. Dr. Devi Priyadarshini joined as the chief speaker and Mr. Akash Padhan as Honoured Speaker for the program.

We hope this will help send more secured message for the elephants, people and forest department to secure future of species.

10/08/2025

In heart of the city, a museum that tells stories of our ancient inheritance through evolution and sparks interest for ecology. Museums generally restores our history to rejuvenate the generation and impart knowledge for its protection. RMNH has always been a long standing institution of Earth Crusaders Organisation to host, train young minds, implement conservation through action and bolster the interest on Natural history among enthusiasts.

Odisha Coast is the second home of Team ECO, since the foundation of our organisation have worked on all the 420kms of coastal belt covering 7 districts including Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip, Puri, Ganjam on different coastal species. We, the team greatly encouraged to see the theme this year highlighted "Crustaceans and Molluscs of Odisha Coast" at RMNH on its 21st Anniversary.

Team ECO wishes 21st Anniversary to Regional Museum of Natural History and we assure our long term support to the institute for the betterment of society and the generations ahead.

30/06/2025

Today, on 30th June 2025, On the call of Block Development Officer, Bargarh our Program Officer Mr. Akash Padhan joined as the keynote speaker to demonstrate regarding the common snakes around us along with the identification of venomous/nonvenomous Slytherins around us and how to respond to snakebite during monsoon among 40 community personnels from SHG groups, village dwellers and farmers.

This event was focused and prioritiesed majorly on safety of the agri-based communities depend outdoor activities and busting the myths related to snakebites. India is prone to snakebite deaths due to myths, misidentifications, improper knowledge regarding snakebite response. Odisha is more vulnerable to the natural calamities, flash floods where majority of snakebite occurs. However, we aim to play role of our part to aware communities for maintaining a distant harmony with our reptile mate during monsoon.

We would thank the BDO, OSDMA and Bargarh Panchayat for organising such brainstorming sessions and showing enthusiasm for the most critical, avoidable, prominent health aspect.
odisha 🐍

05/06/2025

Taking another step to our goal, ECO in collaboration with Bonai Forest Division conducted the second capacity building training program among 20 nos. Of frontline forest staffs at Division office.

This training programs are focused to bolster conservation of freshwater turtles and turtoises in the state through identification techniques, relocation methods and laws post confiscation. The event was chaired by Mr. Lalit Patra, IFS (DFO, Bonai) and Mr. Nalinikant Behera (ACF, Bonai).

These programs are first of its kind initiative in the state of Odisha on freshwater turtle and turtoises, we hope to impart these trainings among other divisions prone to interstate turtle trades and trafficking as well as ensure more healthy ecosystem through common standard operating procedures.

Your contribution to support this project will stand for the freshwater turtle and tortoises in Odisha.


[Conservation, Turtle, Turtoises, Training, Wildlife, Odisha, Forest]

26/05/2025

Our unit comprising research cell, ECO aims to find crucial ecosystems and their respective species diversity for conservation. During our routine field exercise with we able to find out the presence and first photographic evidence of Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) from Gujarat through camera traps.

We are looking forward for more extensive field works to carry out better management as well as conservation initiatives for this highly illusive and second most trafficked mammal in wild.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the members for their utmost support, dedicated and rigorous field exercises in finding the species diversity. .patel

[Pangolin, Redlist, IUCN, SSC, Conservation, Awareness, Traffic]

23/05/2025

On 23rd May, 2025 ECO in collaboration with India Turtle Conservation Program () & Malkangiri Forest Division organised States First Capacity Building Training program for Frontline Forest Staffs Hands on training on Freshwater Turtle & Tortoises Identification, Rescue, Rehabilitation and Management on the occasion of "World Turtle Day".

This event was chaired by Divisional Forest Officer Mr. Pratap Kotapalli, Asst. Conservator of Forest, Mrs. Monsoon Khemundu and Ms. Priyanka Mahuka of Malkangiri Forest Division. Dr. Niladri Bhusan Kar joined as expert and keynote speaker, Mr. Aurobindo Samal (Founder, ECO) demonstrated on ethical rescue and relocation methods while Mr. Akash Padhan (Program Officer, ECO) enlightened about Illegal wildlife trade, wildlife laws and trading routes to the forest staffs.

This event trained 37 nos. of forest staffs from 6 different Range of the division where it emphasized on identification, restraining, relocation methods and reinforce enforcements for a bolster action on ground to curb illegal turtle trades cross-border.

We hope this movement will help forest staffs for more impactful outcomes in future.

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15/05/2025

As a result to our continuous efforts to bridge between different stakeholders came up with result where TPWODL, Bargarh Forest Division and ECO came up with a film screening program to Sensitise community on impact of illegal electric hooking and its legalities. ECO advocated from a long time for this joint venture and provided all the possible modalities, ground zero supports to initiate the events.

The event today, took place at Nalichuan village of Bhatli Range. This event witnessed footfall of 50 numbers of village individuals and we hope this will bolster efforts to reduce human-elephant conflict due to intentional electrocution for crop raids.

We thank all the forest officials and TPWODL for their efforts and keeping our request, presence during the event inaugural.

[Elephant, conflict, corridor, awareness, conservation, wildlife]

03/05/2025

On the Occasion of "International Leopard Day" ECO in collaboration with Bargarh Forest Division hosted an interactive session at . The event facilitated among the students of the Vikash Institution among 90 students and 30 forest staffs on threats to Leopards, conservation status, their role to Ecosystem and measures to avoid human-leopard conflict at Bargarh Region.

The event witnessed presence of Mr. Bikram Dev Patnaik (DFO, Bargarh) and Chairman of Krishna Vikash Institution as Chief Guest and honourable guest.

Program Officer of ECO enlightened students regarding the behaviour of Indian Leopards and created attention for leopard conservation. Reportedly, Bargarh has 80 leopard individuals reported as far and vulnerable. To ensure safety of human and leopards this initiative set a benchmark for First Conservation Awareness program in the state.

Increasing numbers of poaching, illegal trades, roadkill and loss of habitats has caused declination of leopard population in the state. To promote harmony and coexistence, this initiative helped reaching out youth.

As we are gearing up for conservation of this lesser prioritised, illusive big cats in the state of Odisha. We are looking for more and more support to ensure future of the missing spots.

[ Leopard, Conservation, Awareness, Outreach, Bigcat, Human-Wildlife Conflict ]

05/04/2025

ECO in collaboration with Wildlife Trust of India supported by RNP organised Gaj Utsav campaign at Similipal North Division (Jashipur) to raise awareness for elephant conservation and coexistence practices with the odisha state forest department.

This event was organised through a community bike rally, a liasoning meeting with the divisional forest officer and the staffs of Similipal and open sky educational and movie screening for students. The event witnessed participants from 10 different schools, 5 villages falling under the elephant corridors and the bike rally covered 7 different villages to Sensitise the villagers on right of passage for elephants at Jashipur corridor.

The event witnessed participation of 150 villagers and students along with 40 forest staffs relentlessly working safeguarding the Similipal tiger reserve. The traversing baton of elephant was unveiled by the DFO Mr. Sai Kiran ( ) and the crowd was addressed by him on best management practices for elephants at the corridor.

04/03/2025

On 3rd March 2025, Chairman of ECO was invited as Chief Speaker for the World Wildlife Day celebration at Bargarh Forest Division, Odisha among other dignitaries from Senior Electricity Members of TPWODL, Chief District Veterinary Officer, Bargarh and Divisional Forest Officer Bikram Dev Pattanaik.

During this meeting, Aurobindo (Founder, ECO) presented a power point discussing the death of elephants caused by electrocution due to sagging wires, defection in Cut out trips, broken insulators, tilt poles and creepers on transformers. Where he also addressed the media on ethical journalism to impart proper details by coordinating with forest department to give acute information to readers. He also addressed Gandhamardan Banaspati Commitee and requested for ban on single use plastics at Gandhamardan Biodiversity Heritage sites.

He shared a presentation on solutions to manage Human-Elephant Conflict at Bargarh Division through community participation and Models of different divisions successfully implemented to reduce elephant deaths and human-elephant conflict.

We hope this event will put some ground level activity to maintain harmony with elephants at Bargarh Forest Division.

13/01/2025