Animal rights activists have expressed grave concern over the repeated unnatural deaths of Asian wild elephants in the country.
They demanded exemplary punishments for people responsible and urged the government to take immediate steps to stop the killings of wild elephants at a human chain program held on Chittagong Press Club premises Saturday morning.
Organized under the banner of “Pran-Prakriti Surakkhay Sammilito Andolon,” the participants at the program informed that around 22 wild elephants died last year and four wild elephants died this month.
Most of the wild elephants were killed deliberately by shooting, poisoning or electrocution, they alleged.
They further warned that the largest land animals may go extinct if they continue to be killed.
Placing a five-point demand for the conservation of the pachyderms, the wildlife conservation activists also demanded protecting the existing corridors and natural water holes in the forests.
According to a publication titled “Status of Asian Elephants in Bangladesh,” elephants belong to two species – Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and African elephant (Loxodonta africana).
The IUCN Red List of Bangladesh categorized Asian elephants as “critically endangered” as the species of wild animal is now at risk of extinction.
According to a survey conducted by the IUCN from 2013-2016, three types of elephants – resident, migratory, and captive – are found in Bangladesh. The survey said there are 268 resident wild elephants, 93 migratory elephants, and 96 captive elephants in Bangladesh.
