In honor of world elephant day on August 12, we highlight recent Mongabay stories that celebrate elephant conservation efforts.
Protecting elephants ‘trapped’ in Bangladesh
Bangladesh has a resident population of about 270 Indian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus), considered critically endangered within the country. But it also hosts some “nonresident” herds in the northeast that migrated from neighboring India’s Meghalaya state.
Elephants have crisscrossed the border for generations, but starting in 2019 their traditional corridor was sealed shut as India closed off the border with a series of fences. Without enough food to sustain them, the elephants trapped in Bangladesh turned to human farms and orchards, creating deadly conflict.
Following Mongabay’s investigation of these elephants in March 2025, Bangladesh announced it was planning to establish a new protected area in the region.
Mohammed Mostafa Feeroz, a local zoology professor, calls this “a good initiative,” but warns that it will be tricky since the area is heavily settled with people and agriculture. Ultimately, he told Mongabay, the elephant corridor needs to be reopened as a long-term solution for the trapped elephants.
Finding solutions to human-elephant conflict
Elephants are voracious eaters and often run into conflict with farmers, so communities and wildlife authorities have explored various ways to keep the peace.
In Uganda, wildlife authorities have put up nearly 23 kilometers (14 miles) of electric fencing near Queen Elizabeth National Park. Powered by solar panels, it delivers a zap meant to keep elephants at bay. There’s also a barrier of “porcupine” wire that sticks out to further discourage clever elephants who figured out their tusks don’t conduct electricity and would use them to snap the fence wire and help themselves to a buffet on the other side. A survey found the fence has been effective: nearly 90% of local respondents said crop-raiding had ended.
Elephants in Nepal’s eastern border with India also quickly learned that using their tusks could destroy electric fences laid by the government, so villagers adapted. They switched their crops, from elephant favorites like maize, to ones the pachyderms don’t like, including tea, bay leaves and lemons. Local conservationists also helped more residents gain access to government compensation for crop damage, allowing farmers to stay inside when elephants turned up, instead of putting themselves and the massive mammals in harm’s way.
In southern India, authorities in a tea-plantation town surrounded by forests and wildlife, including elephants, have invested in a virtual fence: a series of posts with solar-powered sensors. When the sensors detect moving animals in their vicinity, they trigger flashing lights and a sharp alarm meant to scare off elephants and alert local people of potential danger.
Locals told Mongabay they feel safer with the system in place, but it’s not perfect. Some animals aren’t deterred by the alarms, and elephants have knocked some of the posts down.
Banner image: A female elephant with her calf in northeastern Bangladesh. Image courtesy of Mohammed Mostafa Feeroz.
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