Despite planning and accomplishing some wildlife conservation actions over the years, Bangladesh has yet to achieve success in protecting its elephants (Elephas maximus indicus). Instead, the country has lately witnessed large death tolls of the species every year, mostly due to the conflict with humans. The recent death of an elephant calf while it crossed a railway track in Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary and the death of two humans in the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in Chittagong are two examples of many such conflicts. Both incidents are in the country’s southeast, which comprises the Chittagong Hill Tracts — Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts — and Cox’s Bazar’s forest, where most of the elephants in Bangladesh live. Besides these, conflicts resulting in the deaths of humans and elephants in the country’s northeastern elephant habitats — Jamalpur, Sherpur, Mymensigh and Netrokona districts — are common, too. According to data by IUCN, Bangladesh has recorded the presence of elephants in 44 forest ranges covering 1,518 square kilometers (586 square miles) and 12 elephant corridors within their habitats. Elephant routes are the paths the species uses daily for their food and other needs, while corridors are where elephants pass from one habitat to another. As of 2016, according to the IUCN, Bangladesh had only 268 resident wild elephants, and they are critically endangered in the country. Besides the resident elephants, some more frequently enter Bangladesh’s forests from neighboring India and Myanmar. As per the count of Bangladesh’s Forest Department, between 2017 and 2021, at…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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