Dhaka, Sept. 26 -- Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo has said 146 elephants died in Bangladesh between 2016 and 2025, citing Forest Department data.

Speaking at a discussion on elephant conservation at the Parjatan Bhaban in Dhaka's Agargaon on Saturday, Mintoo said the country's wild elephants are facing a severe crisis.

Bangladesh had an estimated 268 elephants in 2016, he said, adding that shrinking habitats and movement corridors, deforestation, food shortages, roads and railways, climate change and electric traps are fuelling rising human-elephant conflict.

"Asian elephants require vast areas for movement, yet Bangladesh is a densely populated country. Consequently, elephant conservation is a complex task that cannot be accom...