Bangladesh has embarked on an ambitious plan to end the centuries-old practice of keeping elephants in captivity.<\/p>\n
The government has begun retrieving privately owned elephants and aims to rehabilitate them in the wild.<\/p>\n
The initiative follows a 2024 High Court order banning cruelty to wildlife and illegal use of animals for labor or entertainment, reports Mongabay\u2019s Abu Siddique.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s elephant population is small and fragile. According to a government report, only 268 wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) remain in Bangladesh\u2019s southeastern forests, alongside 96 in captivity.<\/p>\n
Once used for logging and transport, captive elephants are now illegally exploited in markets and towns, often in harsh conditions that have led to deaths from heatstroke.<\/p>\n
The project will survey elephant populations, buy animals from owners, and prepare forest sites for rewilding.<\/p>\n
Two potential sanctuaries \u2014 Rema-Kalenga and Chunati \u2014 are under review. Officials acknowledge the difficulties ahead, from disease risks to the loss of wild instincts among long-domesticated elephants.<\/p>\n
Yet they insist that ending captivity is essential for both welfare and conservation. As one adviser put it, \u201cthe elephants will never be back in captivity.\u201d<\/p>\n
If successful, Bangladesh\u2019s experiment could become a model for other Asian nations struggling to reconcile tradition with the ethics of conservation.<\/p>\n