Govt focuses on keeping animal movement in Cox’s Bazar undisturbed

Kabir Humayun: The government wants to continue its efforts with other stakeholders to keep the movement of animals, especially elephants, undisturbed in the district, officials said.
The decision was taken following the significant impacts on wildlife and subsequent human-elephant conflict due to installation of makeshift camps for Rohingyas, reports UNB.
The makeshift camps have a significant impact on wildlife and food shortages, shrinking habitats and disruptions in breeding grounds are affecting nocturnal, metaturnal and crepuscular and diurnal wildlife.
“This is a special problem. We’re looking into it to make some arrangement so that their (animals, especially elephants) path is not disturbed,” said Environment and Forests Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud.
A new report of the United Nations says, some 4,300 acres of hills and forests were cut down to make temporary shelters for Rohingyas and ensure facilities and cooking fuel for them in Ukhia and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar threatening the biodiversity of the ecologically critical areas of the country.
Since the influx in August 2017, coupled with the host community and Rohingyas from past influxes, the crisis-hit population is now almost 1.5 million in Cox’s Bazar.
With this amount of people, Minister Anisul said, the eco-system is being destroyed following deforestation. “Once you deforest the area, you’re going to have consequential changes in eco system.”
To date, 268 resident wild elephants, 93 migratory elephants and 96 captive elephants have been recorded in Bangladesh, the IUCN data shows.
Since the Rohingya refugee influx into Bangladesh last August, there have been at least 13 deaths resulting in from human-elephant incidents in the main Kutupalong-Balukhali refugee settlement, according to UNHCR.