Two Asian elephants, the largest living land mammal in Asia, cozy up to each other while taking a stroll on a grassland in Sherpur. These gentle giants are known for their sociable behaviour, high intelligence and ability to feel grief and compassion. Distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, these elephants are primarily herbivores, consuming about 150kg of vegetation per day. While the Asian elephants, owing to their large size, need over 4,000sqkm of continuous habitat to survive, they are now restricted to just 10 percent of their historical range. Furthermore, they have been victims of rampant habitat degradation, poaching, and unnecessary human attacks. Despite their environmental importance – when they move in herds, they create wide paths and mud wallows and also play a crucial role as seed dispersers and forest gardeners – their numbers have been dwindling since as far back as 1986, when they were listed as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List. Today, fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants are estimated to survive today and the need for their conservation escalates every day.

PHOTO: TIMU HOSSAIN