United News of Bangladesh

The High Court on Monday directed the government authorities to take prompt action against elephant killings in the country. The court also issued a rule and directed the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to spread awareness on preventing elephant killings. HC bench of justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and M Enayetur Rahim passed the order during a hearing on a writ petition seeking directions to stop elephant killing across the country. The court issued a rule questioning why direction will not be given to publish a gazette announcing 12 elephant corridors as conserved following the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012. Also read: Another elephant calf found dead in Cox’s Bazar The court also questioned why inaction against preventing elephant killing by the respondents mentioned in the petition will not be announced illegal. On November 21, three wildlife activist including Adnan Azad, Farzana Yasmin filed a writ petition seeking direction on steps for ending elephant killing in Cox’s bazar, Chattogram and other areas in the country. In the petition 21 including the environment secretary, information secretary, director general of the forest department, district commissioners of Chattogram and Cox’s bazar were made respondents. Also read: Case against 4 in Sherpur over killing Asian elephant Earlier on November 9, Forest Department filed a Prosecution Offense Report case with Chattogram forest court against three people over killing a wild elephant in Satkania.

Police arrested a man Tuesday in South Khuniapalang area in Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar for electrocuting an Asian elephant and trying to bury it after cutting off its head and legs. The arrestee was identified as Nazir Hamed, 48, said Mizanul Islam in-charge of Himchari police outpost. According to locals, Nazir and his sons Tayab Ali, 34, Md Alam, 22, and Jafar Alam, 20, planted electrocuted cables in their fields to save their crops from attack by wild elephants. On Tuesday early morning a herd of elephants came down from a nearby hill and the locals started chasing them. At one point a mother elephant got stuck in the electrocuted cables and died. While they were cutting up the elephant to bury it, police and officials of the Forest Department arrived on the scene and arrested Nazir. A case under Wildlife Preservation Act was filed in this regard against twelve including Nazir and his sons, said Humayun Kabir, divisional officer of the Cox’s Bazar south. The elephant’s body was buried after a postmortem, he said This is a very sad incident as there were just 163 Asian elephants in the forest area of Cox’s Bazar and 20 of them bred in the last two years, said Humayun. Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Ramu Pranay Chakma said a drive  is underway to arrest the others involved.