6 elephants go back to India 22 hours after entering Bangladesh

The herd of six elephants, including an infant, that entered Bangladesh territory through Sunamganj's Tahirpur upazila in the early hours yesterday, left the country after around 22 hours.

Mahmudul Haque Khan, wildlife and biodiversity conservancy officer of Forest Department in Sunamganj, confirmed the development, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

The official said that the herd crossed the border around 11:45pm yesterday safely.

"We ensured safety for the elephants as well as the locals. We are happy that they left unharmed," he said.

The herd entered Bangladesh around 2am yesterday and was strolling from Barogop Tila area to Maharam Tila under Bardhal Uttar union of the upazila.

As they took position at the zero point on the border at 9:30pm last night, BGB communicated with BSF to switch off the flashlights on the Indian side so that the herd can leave Bangladesh undisturbed, Arun Baran Chowdhury, assistant conservator of forests of the Forest Department, said last night.

On November 16, a herd of four elephants entered Bangladesh through the same area and they also went back to India within two days.

There has been a spate of elephant killings in Sherpur, Chattogram, and Cox's Bazar late last year. The month of November alone saw eight elephants electrocuted and shot dead.