More than a hundred students in Patiya, Chattogram, learned what to do when elephants come out of the forest into villages. They were given the advice at a World Elephant Day discussion in the Haidgaon High School auditorium on the afternoon of Wednesday, 12 August.

Chattogram South Forest Division organised the awareness discussion and a rally. Teachers, journalists and local residents attended alongside the students.

The meeting was chaired by Haidgaon High School headteacher Shyamal Kanti Dey, with school managing committee president Sukanta Talukder as chief guest. The keynote speaker was Emdadul Haque, Patiya range officer of Chattogram South Forest Division.

Also speaking were Borguni beat officer Rahmat Ali, Sreemai beat officer Md Faisal, managing committee member Jinnatur Rahman, teachers' representative Abdul Mannan, rescue team member Naimuddin Bijoy and forest department caretaker Md Mohiuddin, along with teachers, students and local dignitaries.

Speakers said elephants are an important part of Bangladesh's biodiversity. Deforestation, habitat loss and human-elephant conflict put wild elephants at many kinds of risk. Everyone must be aware of the need to protect elephant habitat and ensure people and elephants can coexist, and raising awareness of forest and wildlife conservation among students is especially urgent.

The meeting was told that when an elephant comes into a village from the forest, villagers should be warned quickly and the local forest range officer, beat officer and forest guards informed. Everyone should stay in groups, and no one should go in front of or near an elephant alone. Making noise together to scare the elephant away from the village can be tried.

Participants were told about scaring elephants by making noise with sticks, whistles, tin sheets and drums, setting off firecrackers, shining torches or searchlights, lighting torches or lamps, and shouting together. They were also asked to take further care if elephants enter a village:

• do not block the elephant's path;
• do not approach an elephant alone;
• do not run about in panic;
• do not try to lure the elephant away with food;
• do not go near an elephant to take photos or videos on a mobile phone.

People were urged to behave responsibly in an emergency, staying alert themselves and helping keep others out of danger.

After the meeting, teachers and students held an awareness rally on elephant and forest conservation, which left the school grounds, went round nearby roads and ended back at the school.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.