Bangladesh law protects elephants
Asian elephants in the wild.
On 25 February, a Bangladeshi court banned people from keeping Asian elephants. Bangladesh is home to around 200 of the animals but numbers have fallen because of illegal hunting and habitat loss. Around half of Bangladesh’s Asian elephants are living in captivity (kept by humans).
The court’s decision protects elephants from being adopted and put in captivity. The aim is to stop them being exploited (used and treated unfairly).
Before the ruling, the Bangladesh government’s forestry department could issue licences to allow logging companies (those that cut down trees) to capture elephants. The elephants were used to move logs around. Many of these elephants were then sold to other people, even though that is not officially allowed. Amit Das Gupta, a lawyer for the government, said some of the animals ended up being exploited and used for activities such as begging or in circuses.
The case was brought to court by the People for Animal Welfare (PAW) Foundation, an animal rights group, and a Bangladeshi actor called Jaya Ahsan. Activists now want to rehabilitate elephants (restore them to health). Head of the PAW Foundation, Rakibul Haq Emil, said, “Several countries in Asia, such as Thailand and Nepal, have found success in rehabilitating captive elephants. We shall do it here.”
The Week Junior 2 March 2024
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