Conserve forest, protect elephants: Activists 

The Bangladesh Nature Conservation Alliance (BNCA), a coalition of 33 environmental organisations have called on the authorities to protect elephants and other wild lives.

In recent years, the number of elephants have reduced significantly as they continue to fall victim to the poachers, the activists observed at an webinar marking the World Elephant Day 2022 on Friday.  

The environment activists also pointed out that the habitats of the elephants must be conserved, read a press statement.

"Various wildlife including elephants are disappearing from nature due to the destruction of forests, protected forest areas in the country," BNCA activists said at the event through a virtual platform, chaired by Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, convener, BNCA.
 
"Asian elephants do not hurt anyone easily. But now they are victims of brutality and poaching.
Once elephants used to be seen in Hatirjheel and Pilkhana areas," Dhaka University Zoolozy Professor Gulshan Ara Latif said while presenting the keynote article.

"Total  number of elephants in the country is now only some 200 and it is decreasing," she said at the webinar, moderated by Mohammad Ejazer, joint convener, BNCA.

"We have to emphasise on the conservation of forests and wildlife while we are undertaking and implementing development projects," she further said referring to the destruction of elephant habitat.

Abdul Wahab, executive director, Centre for Global Environment and Development; Suman Shams, chairman, Nongor; Dr Mahmuda Parveen, environmental science teacher; Adnan Azad, wildlife researcher; Ehsanul Haque Jashim, president of Nature Loving People, Rashedul Majid, chief executive of Environment People, Sadia Chowdhury, Aminul Mithu, Shaheed Hasan Khan, Nayan Sarkar, Alamgir Hossain, Swapan Kumar Nath of Marine Journalist Network attended the program among others.