No abstract

Background Seasonal ranging pattern of the Asian Elephants was assessed within two major Protected Areas, namely Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary and Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the southern Bangladesh, for the period between November 2016 and May 2018. The objective of this study was to see how do the elephants move across the Protected Area landscapes, what was the linkage between the water sources and elephant’s seasonal movement patterns and how does vegetation cover link to elephant movement. Methods The ranging pattern was analyzed using the elephant dung distribution data. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Normalized Difference Water Index were estimated through satellite image analysis. Results Study clearly indicated that the ranging pattern of elephants fully depends on the vegetation and water sources. The areas where water sources and vegetation coverage were good, elephant movement was higher. The study identified few areas of these two Protected Areas where both vegetation coverage and water sources were visible and those areas as hot-spots for elephants. Conclusions The findings of this study can be used in conservation and management of elephants, particularly through the protection of preferred water sources and vegetation covered areas. In future these areas need to be protected and take proper management interventions.