Bangladesh court halts wild elephant adoption
A Bangladeshi court on Sunday barred the adoption of elephants from the wild, a move hailed by animal rights activists as a "landmark" order to help stop cruelty. Rights groups said the high court order suspending licences will stop the torture of captive Asian elephants in the name of training. "The high court today suspended all licences for the captive rearing of elephants," said Amit Das Gupta, deputy attorney general of the country.  Bangladesh was once one of the major homes for Asian elephants. But poaching and habitat loss saw their number dwindle so much that they are now declared critically endangered in the South Asian country. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says there are nearly 100 captive Asian elephants in Bangladesh, nearly half the amount of elephants left in the wild in the country. As logging and farming encroach on elephant territory, young animals are captured in the country's northern and southeastern hills. The forestry department has previously issued licences to logging groups who use the elephants to drag tree trunks, or to circus groups – to adopt the animals. But Gupta said the elephants were being exploited and used for begging and "street extortion," breaking the licence terms. The plight of the captive elephants was highlighted in May last year when a young elephant, used for begging on the streets, was killed by a train. (AFP)