A grim year for wildlife

The year 2021 has been far from kind to living beings,  especially wildlife, in Bangladesh that still remain the target of attacks from people. During the pandemic, when the world went into lockdown, nature had an unexpected respite. Eco-systems and wildlife flourished except in Bangladesh where the frequency of attacks became unprecedented. Despite the government’s assurance to protect animals, many of which are steadily becoming extinct, illegal poaching, trading and unwarranted attacks on wildlife have rampantly continued. 

Elephants in spotlight

Elephants were probably the biggest casualties of men’s aggression on wildlife this year. It started in August when the killing of a wild mother elephant by electrocution at Cox’s Bazar’s Ramu made headlines. The animal, a species which is on the verge of extinction in the country, needed to be buried in pieces. Just months later in the second week of November, eight elephants were killed within a span of just 11 days. 

The incidents were mainly reported from the Garo Hills area bordering Sherpur-Jamalpur-Mymensingh and greater Chittagong area. While many say that the elephants were attacked because they encroached on fields and destroyed food, experts are of the view that it is men who have encroached on their land. According to them, multifaceted development projects have led to the rapid shrinking of elephant corridors which leads these otherwise harmless animals to enter human territories. 

Onslaught on other wildlife

While the deaths of the elephants made headlines, the onslaught continued on other animals as well. According to Wildlife Conservation Society data, at least 25 dolphins died till September this year and three more were reported dead in the following months, the latest on December 27. Although the authorities claim that some died of natural causes, most are killed as they get entangled in fishermen’s nets. The dolphins were found in Patuakhali’sKuakata beach, Bhola and Halda river- which is considered the hotspot of dolphin killing.

Whales, the largest mammals on the planet, have not remained protected either. Dead whales washed ashore on the beach of Cox’s Bazar, with two incidents being reported on consecutive days in April. Although their post mortem reports claimed their deaths as ‘natural,’ whales hit by vessels and getting hurt is not unheard of. 

According to Sylhet Divisional Forest Officer Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, every year Bangladesh sees nearly Tk 10 crore worth of illegal trade in wildlife. Bengal Tigers, elephants, deer, pangolins, snakes, birds, and turtles are some of the most sought-after animals for trade. In January this year, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a poacher in possession of a tiger skin from Bagerhat’sSarankhola. Habib Talukdar, alias Tiger Habib, was arrested after being on the ‘wanted’ list of the law enforcement agencies for 20 years for killing more than 70 Royal Bengal Tigers. However, experts related to this field are of the view that a lot of such wildlife trafficking remains untraced.

Government initiatives ineffective

Despite the government’s initiatives and assurances to protect wildlife, most of the initiatives remain unimplemented. Very recently, acknowledging the failure to protect elephants ,the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the initiative of a transnational elephant corridor with Myanmar and India. Despite the undertaking of massive action, the output remains minimal due to a lack of implementation.

“We have disseminated our message about protecting wildlife from an awareness point of view,” said Jahanaginagar Zoology Department Professor MostafaFeroz. 

“We have to change the tone. The forest department cannot be excused over its responsibility by simply acknowledging facts. It has to protect the elephants as well as all other wildlife,” he added.

Responding to queries on wildlife trafficking, he said that investigation and coordination regarding trafficking of animals was largely an unexplored issue for the media and people. 

“We are mainly a transit country. Our people don’t even feel the need for consuming or sourcing parts of wildlife. It is possible to avoid being a passing-through country with joint efforts,” he said.

The attacks and trafficking have steadily pushed many animals towards extinction, which has become a massive threat for the ecosystem. The shooting of the famous movie “Around the World in Eighty Days” was done at Srimangal’sLawachara Reserve Forest where elephants were seen walking over the rail lines when the train moved through the forest. Such scenes have become non-existent now as elephants have almost vanished from the entire northeastern zone. Experts fear that very soon elephants will be a story on the shelf for the next generations to get acquainted with. They have emphasised the importance of taking effective measures to protect wildlife at any cost.