Researchers find evidence of elephant poaching in remote Bangladesh forest

Communities living around a remote, mountainous forest in southeastern Bangladesh, close to Myanmar, have reported cross-border incidents of elephant poaching for years but there was no confirmed evidence. A new study has now documented the first known physical signs of elephant poaching in the forest. The Sangu-Matamuhuri Reserve Forest in southeastern Bangladesh, bordering Myanmar’s Rakhine state, is rich in biodiversity and a critical habitat for a variety of wildlife, including Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), golden jackal (Canis aureus) and the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). “The Sangu–Matamuhuri landscape is a uniquely important region. Elephants were once common here, but over time their population declined,” Sourav Chakma, lead author of the study, told Mongabay