Staff Reporter :
Elephant killings continue unabated across Bangladesh, with 18 elephants reported dead over the past six months – most under suspicious circumstances.
This surge in fatalities, many involving signs of poaching, marks an alarming and unprecedented trend in the country’s wildlife conservation efforts.
Between 1980 and 2000, Bangladesh’s elephant population declined from 380 to just 268. Despite this significant drop, no national survey on wild elephants has been conducted since 2016.
The Forest Department also lacks data on privately owned elephants, underscoring a broader absence of systematic monitoring and oversight.
Forest Department insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity, claim that no effective measures are currently in place to protect elephants.
They allege that, instead, certain officials are prioritising access to lucrative project funds over genuine conservation efforts.
At the centre of these allegations is Molla Rezaul Karim, Forest Conservator of the Chattogram region, who is reportedly steering conservation initiatives through a favoured environmental group with no previous experience or credentials in elephant protection.
His advisor is said to be the controversial former forest official Tapon Kumar Dey.
Multiple corruption allegations against Karim have already been investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
One particularly brutal incident occurred on 8 April this year in the Jolodi range of Chattogram, where an elephant was hacked to death and its tusks and nails removed.
Another mysterious elephant death was reported on 28 March. Such acts of violence, according to conservationists, have rarely been seen in recent decades.
Sources allege that an artificial crisis is being manufactured around the elephant population in the Chattogram region to justify new project funding.
As part of this alleged effort, recruitment has begun under the banner of an environmental organisation linked to Molla Rezaul Karim.
The organisation, which has been assigned to operate in Chattogram, Bandarban, and Cox’s Bazar, lacks both training and experience in elephant conservation.
Chattogram is home to approximately 112 wild elephants in 28 groups.
Several reputable organisations-such as Save the Nature, NECOM, and DHARA-have longstanding roles in forest and wildlife protection in the region. However, those who align with these established groups risk marginalisation by Karim, who is reported to exclusively support his preferred organisation.
In a letter dated 11 February to the Divisional Forest Officer of Bandarban, Mohammad Abdur Rahman, Molla Rezaul Karim questioned the legality of cooperation with Save the Nature of Bangladesh, stating: “As a government employee, is there a legal basis for such cooperation without prior permission?” He also queried the nature of the relationship between a local range officer and the organisation.
Ironically, on 21 November last year, a government-funded meeting was held in Cox’s Bazar with representatives of Karim’s preferred group-without following proper protocol.
On 24 February, Acting Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury announced the formation of six special teams dedicated to elephant protection.
Five of these teams-comprising 40 officials – were stationed across Chattogram and the Chattogram Hill Tracts.
However, according to team members who spoke anonymously, these units remain inactive due to a lack of funding and transport.
They allege that Molla Rezaul Karim has sidelined the government teams in favour of his preferred organisation.
Despite repeated attempts, Molla Rezaul Karim did not respond to requests for comment regarding these allegations.
Conservationists warn that unless immediate action is taken to address both the killings and the underlying administrative failures, Bangladesh’s elephant population-already critically low-may face irreversible decline.
