Grim reminder

Bangladesh has never launched a long-term conservation initiative for elephants, he said. "If the government does not take immediate action, Bangladesh may no longer be one of the 13 Asian countries with wild elephants within the next decade."

Simanta Dipu, program manager at the IUCN, said, "In 2016, the IUCN recorded only 457 elephants in Bangladesh. A century ago, these creatures roamed freely across the country's forests."

Human settlements, agricultural lands, roads, highways, brickfields, and village markets have developed within or near elephant movement routes and corridors, exacerbating human-elephant conflicts, he said.

Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury, chief conservator of forests, admitted that most elephant deaths occur due to human-elephant conflicts. Of the 12 elephant corridors that once existed, one in Ramu and two in Teknaf have already been completely closed.

An elephant corridor is a narrow strip of land that allows elephants to move between habitats without human interference.

"We need to involve local communities to save these elephants," Amir said, adding, "We've submitted a project proposal to the Planning Commission for elephant conservation."

The proposed "Elephant Conservation Project", if approved, will be Bangladesh's first government-funded elephant conservation initiative since independence. Under it, the forest department will conduct an elephant census in 2026 to estimate the remaining elephant population.

With a budget of 410 million Bangladeshi taka ($1.17 million), the three-year pilot project aims to support elephant response teams with funding and logistics, raise public awareness, and install solar fencing to prevent elephants from straying into human settlements.

Solar fencing, which delivers a harmless shock, is expected to deter elephants while protecting villages from destruction. Currently, farmers have set up illegal electric fences to keep elephants away from their farmlands, leading to fatal consequences for the animals.

To address this problem, the conservation project also plans to ensure affected farmers receive compensation for crop damage, aiming to reduce hostility toward elephants.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, environment adviser of Bangladesh, said, "The situation has reached alarming levels as we've destroyed almost all the elephant corridors. Elephants have the habit of using the same routes they're familiar with.

"With the involvement of experts and different organizations, we've already resolved the human-elephant conflict issue in the Korean Export Processing Zone area (in Chattogram's Anowara)."

Regarding the elephant conservation project, she said it is expected to be approved by the end of March.

"Under the project, a certain area of the Gazipur Safari Park will be assigned to rehabilitate captive elephants. We'll also protect the remaining elephant corridors and form elephant response teams in different areas."

The Daily Star, Bangladesh