Badshah Bahadur: Rescued, recovering, still waiting for justice

After being rescued from a circus in early July this year, the 65-year-old Badshah Bahadur is finally receiving the care he long deserved.

Since being transferred to the National Zoo in Mirpur, veterinarians say the critically injured elephant has shown marked improvement. A medical board has been overseeing his treatment, while a nutritionist has been assigned to restore his health.

Although his overall condition has improved significantly, the infection in his remaining tusk has yet to heal completely, according to zoo Director Dr Md Shahinur Alam.

The elephant was rescued by the local administration after it came to the Prime Minister’s attention, following a video highlighting its illness that went viral on social media. He was found severely malnourished, bearing visible signs of abuse and with one of his tusks missing.

For years, the elephant was used in circus performances and hired out for roadside shows.

Now that his recovery is underway, questions remain over the torture he endured, the disappearance of one of his tusks, and whether anyone will be held accountable.

Its former owner, SM Sabur Alam, said he had bought the elephant in 2011, and maintains that the missing tusk was broken in 2014 after a tree fell on it during a storm.

However, a mahout (handler), who asked not to be named, alleged that one of Badshah Bahadur’s tusks was deliberately cut from the pulp cavity under Sabur’s supervision eight years ago.

According to him, the elephant stood up during the procedure, preventing the removal of the second tusk.

The mahout alleged that tusks of ageing elephants are sometimes removed for sale, adding that not all elephants naturally have tusks.

The missing tusk, untreated injuries and political influence

Tusks are highly valuable and are primarily traded for ivory, which is used to manufacture jewellery, ornaments, carvings, religious artefacts and other decorative items. Wildlife activists estimate that a tusk the size of Badshah Bahadur’s would weigh between eight and ten kilograms and be worth 8-12 lakh taka.

Under Bangladesh’s wildlife laws, any removed elephant tusk must be deposited with the authorities or removed with official permission. Unauthorised removal or possession of a tusk is a non-bailable and punishable offence.

However, Amirul Rajiv, coordinator of the Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement, and Rakibul Amil, founder of PAW Foundation, who took part in the rescue effort, alleged the elephant continued to be used commercially until shortly before he was surrendered.

They also alleged that Badshah Bahadur fractured one of his hind legs four to five years ago after falling from a loading ramp while being transported for roadside performances. They claimed the elephant continued to be used in circus shows and roadside collections before the injury had healed, leaving the leg permanently displaced.

“The tip of the elephant’s tail is missing, scars are visible on the top of its head, and several toenails on its front feet are damaged. The soft areas behind an elephant’s ears, above its toenails and around its hindquarters are commonly struck with hooks or similar tools during training and handling”, Amirul added.

Rakibul said he first contacted Sabur on May 4 this year requesting that Badshah Bahadur be handed over. “Sabur declined and said he had the backing of State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam.”

Rakibul said that he and Amirul searched for the elephant the following day and eventually located Sabur at a friend’s house but were not told where the elephant was being kept.

He further alleged that officials from the Bogura Forest Division told them Sabur had invoked political influence during the matter.

Shahe Alam did not respond to calls and text messages from Daily Waadaa despite repeated attempts.

However, his secretary, Atikur Rahman, said the minister denied any involvement with Sabur.

The case of Badshah Bahadur has also highlighted broader concerns over the regulation of captive elephants in Bangladesh.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bangladesh’s last census of captive elephants, conducted in 2016, recorded 96 elephants. Wildlife activists say the list was largely based on a Forest Department inventory prepared in 2004 and has seen little or no update since.

Only around 30 of those elephants are licensed by the Forest Department, while the remaining animals allegedly have no valid licences or official documentation. Activists say they have repeatedly urged the authorities to conduct a fresh nationwide census, arguing that without updated data it is difficult to monitor captive elephant populations or investigate offences such as illegal ivory trade, poaching and other wildlife crimes.

They estimate that the government currently has custody of only 20 to 21 captive elephants – mostly housed in safari parks and zoos – of which only four or five have been rescued.

A departmental game of pass the parcel

Bogura Divisional Forest Officer for Social Forestry Matlubur Rahman said the Forest Department participated in the elephant’s rescue operation. Initially, officials discussed sending Badshah Bahadur to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Sreepur, Gazipur, but later decided to transfer the elephant to the Bangladesh National Zoo.

He added the Forest Department’s role was limited to assisting the district Livestock Department during the rescue. Questions relating to the removal of the elephant’s tusk and any legal action, he said, fall under the jurisdiction of the Livestock Department.

However, Shibganj Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Md Mahbub Hasan Chowdhury gave a different account. He said the rescue operation was initiated following the Prime Minister’s directive.

Asked about the removal of the elephant’s tusk, Mahbub said the elephant was outside Shibganj Upazila when the tusk was removed and the issue does not fall within his responsibilities and should be handled by the Forest Department. His responsibility, he said, was to ensure that the sick elephant received proper veterinary care.

So who is responsible?

One department says the matter falls under the Livestock Department. The other says it is the Forest Department’s responsibility.

Sabur claims a fallen tree broke the tusk.

If that is the case, where did the incident occur? Was it reported to the local Forest Department? Was the Department of Livestock Services informed? Was the removed tusk deposited with the authorities, as required under Bangladesh’s wildlife regulations? If so, where is the record?

On June 3, Amirul wrote to the Forest Department describing the elephant’s condition and requesting that it be released from the circus. Yet the rescue operation began only after the issue went viral on social media and the Prime Minister issued a directive.

The Forest Department took no initiative to rescue the injured elephant before the Prime Minister's directive despite having the laws, regulations and wildlife protection policies with them.

Laws exist, yet no one has been booked

The visible injuries on Badshah Bahadur’s body, together with the observations of the veterinarians treating the elephant, indicate that he was subjected to cruelty and abuse, acts that may constitute offences under both the Animal Welfare Act, 2019 and the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2026.

Advocate Jakir Hossain of the Supreme Court said the removal of one of the elephant’s tusks also raises separate legal questions.

“We have seen similar incidents before involving elderly elephants, including Babar Bahadur, rescued by the Forest Department in 2024, and another elephant that died in Magura in 2025 after being used for roadside collections,” he said.

Even if the tusk had broken accidentally, Jakir said, the owner was legally required to notify the Forest Department.

“Concealing, selling or failing to report the tusk could itself amount to an offence”, he added.

Under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2026, the unauthorised removal of a tusk is punishable by up to three years‘ imprisonment, a fine of up to 300,000 taka or both. A repeat offence carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 500,000 taka or both.

Jakir said the transfer of Badshah Bahadur to the Bangladesh National Zoo does not prevent the Forest Department from initiating criminal proceedings.

“The proper legal process would have been for the Forest Department to register a case, lawfully seize the elephant and then appoint the Department of Livestock Services or another suitable institution as its custodian,” he said.

According to laws, captive elephants fall under the legal jurisdiction of the Forest Department, and the department remains responsible for initiating legal proceedings, regardless of which agency provides veterinary treatment.

He also said the owner and the mahout responsible for the elephant at the relevant time should be questioned as part of the investigation.

Jakir argued Bangladesh also needs specific rules governing the management of captive elephants under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2026.

“The case of Badshah Bahadur is not only exposing gaps in the legal framework. It also raises questions about whether the existing laws are being properly enforced,” he concluded.