Sambar, State Animal of Odisha.

A Special Cover was released on Sambar, which is the State Animal of Odisha on 26th March 2022 at Bhubaneswar during EIPEX 2022.

The Sambar is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, South China and southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008.Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting. local insurgency and industrial exploitation of habitat. Sambar are nocturnal or crepuscular. The males live alone for much of the year, and the females live in small herds of up to 16 individuals. Sambar is the State animal of Odisha. They prefer forest, marshy and wooded areas. They are commonly found near water, where they can forage for water plants. They like the dense cover of deciduous shrubs and grasses.

Cover Code: OD/06/2022