Sherpur:Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo announced that Bangladesh will soon engage in discussions with India to create a cross-border corridor for wild elephants in the Garo Hills of Sherpur.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the discussions will be initiated under an existing protocol to address the issue of around 130 to 135 wild elephants from India's Meghalaya that have become stranded in Sherpur due to border fencing. The minister highlighted that previous requests to open gates in the fencing to allow the elephants to return had not been successful.
Minister Mintoo also stated that steps would be taken to develop forest areas in Sherpur into safe habitats for the elephants. The remarks were made during a discussion held at Madhutila Eco Park in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur, focused on resolving human-elephant conflict and conserving wild elephants.
The development of the Garo Hills area into a tourism hub was proposed, with the aim of creating economic opportunities for local residents while protecting elephants and reducing human-elephant conflict. The discussion was organized by the Sherpur district administration and the Mymensingh Forest Division, with participation from lawmakers, Elephant Response Team members, journalists, and volunteers in elephant conservation. Deputy Commissioner Farida Yesmin chaired the event.
Notable speakers included Sherpur-2 lawmaker Engineer Fahim Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Conservator of Forests for the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Region Md Sanaullah Patwari, Central Region Conservator of Forests A S M Zahir Uddin Akon, Mymensingh Divisional Forest Officer Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, and Police Superintendent A K M Johirul Islam.