<
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/bangladesh-to-reintroduce-captive-elephants-to-the-wild/>
"Bangladesh has embarked on an ambitious plan to end the centuries-old practice
of keeping elephants in captivity.
The government has begun retrieving privately owned elephants and aims to
rehabilitate them in the wild. The initiative follows a 2024 High Court order
banning cruelty to wildlife and illegal use of animals for labor or
entertainment, reports
Mongabay’s Abu Siddique.
The country’s elephant population is small and fragile. According to a
government report, only 268 wild Asian elephants (
Elephas maximus) remain in
Bangladesh’s southeastern forests, alongside 96 in captivity. 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.
The project will survey elephant populations, buy animals from owners, and
prepare forest sites for rewilding. Two potential sanctuaries — Rema-Kalenga
and Chunati — are under review. Officials acknowledge the difficulties ahead,
from disease risks to the loss of wild instincts among long-domesticated
elephants. Yet they insist that ending captivity is essential for both welfare
and conservation. As one adviser put it, “the elephants will never be back in
captivity.”
If successful, Bangladesh’s experiment could become a model for other Asian
nations struggling to reconcile tradition with the ethics of conservation."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
