File cases against the elephant killers and poachers

It is most unfortunate that forest ministry officials of Chattogram region have been manipulating the autopsy reports of the dead wild elephants in the area, apparently to avoid animosity with locals responsible for the deaths. They tamper with the reports by attributing the deaths to natural causes and rarely file cases against the elephant killers.

In the last two months, three Asian elephants, classified as "critically endangered" in Bangladesh, died at the Kalipur range office of Banshkhali upazila, which falls under the jurisdiction of Chattogram Divisional Forest Office (South). The autopsy reports said that all of them died of natural causes while evidence found by locals suggest that they could have died by electrocution as electric metal wires were found near the scenes. When a livestock official tried to reveal the real cause of their deaths in the autopsy reports, he was intimidated by the forest ministry officials.

According to forest department data, a total of 106 elephants died in the Chattogram Forest Circle—in Cox's Bazar, parts of Bandarban, Chattogram city, and Rangamati—in the last 19 years. But surprisingly, only two cases and 74 general diaries were filed by the forest department in relation to these deaths during this whole period.

What we do not understand is why would the forest department not file cases against those who killed these endangered species? Isn't it the forest department's duty to save the wildlife and biodiversity of the forests they are in charge of? Another question that naturally arises is, are the forest officials concerned connected with the poachers in any way? We would like to know the answers to these questions from the officials concerned.

Although we have Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, through which forest officials can file a case if any wildlife is killed within their jurisdiction, the law remains mostly unused due to either reluctance or a lack of awareness of the officials. What's the point of having this law if it is not used against the poachers and killers of wild animals? If they are not brought under the purview of law and given exemplary punishment, crimes against wild animals will not stop.