Bangladesh court bars adoption of Asian elephants from wild, activists hail move

A high court in Bangladesh on Sunday (Feb 25) barred the adoption of Asian elephants from the wild. Speaking to news agency AFP, Bangladesh's Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta said that the high court suspended all licenses for the captive rearing of elephants. Hailing the court's decision, activists said the suspension order would stop the torture of captive Asian elephants in the name of training.

"This is a landmark order," said Rakibul Haque Emil, head of the animal rights group People for Animal Welfare (PAW) Foundation in Bangladeshi to AFP.

Once a major home for Asian elephants

Bangladesh had been one of the major homes for Asian elephants. However, poaching and habitat loss causeda severe downfall in their numbers andthe animals became critically endangered in the country.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are nearly 100 captive Asian elephants in Bangladesh, nearly half the amount of elephants are left in the wild in the country.

As logging and farming encroach on elephant territories, the animals are captured in the country's northern and southeastern hills. AFP reported that the forest department used toissuelicenses to logging groups who use elephants to drag tree trunks, or to circus groups -- to adopt the animals.

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However, Deputy Attorney General Gupta told the news agency that elephants were being exploited and used for begging and "street extortion", breaking the license terms. In May last year, a young elephant, used for begging on the streets, was killed by a train.

In 2019, police rescued two emaciated elephants from their owners after they were used for roadside begging. The elephants were handed over to the Dhaka Zoo.

PIL filed against captive elephant licensing

The PAW and prominent actor Jaya Ahsan launched a public interest litigation against captive elephant licensing. PAW's head Emil said on Sunday, "In this name of training elephants, private licensees including circus parties brutally separate elephant calves from their mother, shackle them for months and then torture them to teach tricks."

He added that they would mobilise support for the rehabilitation of captive elephants.

"Several countries in Asia such as Thailand and Nepal have found some success in rehabilitating captive elephants. We shall do it here," the officialsaid.

(With inputs from agencies)