Bangladesh, Oct. 3 -- A worsening food crisis in Lawachara National Park is forcing various wild animals, including pythons and other reptiles, to leave the forest and enter nearby human settlements, resulting in increasingly frequent human-wildlife encounters.

The Bangladesh Wildlife Service Foundation, a Sreemangal-based voluntary organisation, rescued 19 wild animals from different areas of Sreemangal Upazila in Moulvibazar between September 1 and 30, and another 20 in August, returning the animals to the forest after initial treatment and observation.

The 19 animals rescued in September included 16 snakes, a jungle cat, a Hanuman langur and a civet. Of the 20 animals rescued in August, 17 were snakes of various species, while the o...