PINAKI ROY WITH SIFAYET ULLAH, Ctg; AMINUL ISLAM, Mymensingh

Over the past decade, nearly half of the country’s wild elephant population has been wiped out.

These gentle giants, which once roamed freely across Bangladesh’s lush forests, have been falling victim to human-elephant conflict, driven by relentless deforestation and habitat loss.

In the last 10 years, at least 124 wild elephants were killed across Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and Mymensingh regions. Many fell prey to retaliatory killings, electrocution, poaching, and train accidents.

Conversely, 83 people have also been killed in elephant encounters during this period. Yet, the government’s response has been limited, with few visible actions to prevent further losses.

According to a 2016 survey by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there were only 457 elephants in the country, including 268 wild elephants, 93 migratory elephants, and 96 in captivity.

The study found that from 2003 to 2015 (13 years),

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