Sixth giraffe dies at Gazipur Park, officials accuse vet of negligence

The last of the male giraffes at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park has died, leaving only seven female giraffes in the Gazipur facility.

He is the sixth giraffe to die in recent months amid allegations of negligence against the park’s chief veterinary surgeon Nizam Uddin.

Park officials have blamed the deaths on the doctor, saying he only comes in for visits once or twice during the day and never works during the night.

The giraffe found dead on Wednesday had stopped eating granular foods. “He only ate leaves during the last two months. We consulted many leading veterinarians and they advised special care for the giraffe, said park official Rafiqul Islam.

“Then workers found the giraffe lying dead in the African Safari section around 8:30am on Wednesday."

Samples collected from the dead body were sent to a laboratory in Dhaka to determine the cause of death. The giraffe was then buried within park premises.

Besides Rafiqul Islam, wildlife supervisors Anisur Rahman and Sarwa Hossain Khan also pointed their fingers at Nizam Uddin, who has been the park’s veterinary surgeon since its inception in 2013. 

The doctor never stays during the night and lived 15 kilometres away in the residential area of Sheikh Kamal Wildlife Centre, they said.

“It’s very important to pay close attention to the animals because they cannot speak. But he (Nizam) never does that. The park’s project director was also informed about this,” said Islam.

“As far as I know, ten giraffes have been brought in to the park from Africa since 2015. They’ve given birth to four calves, one of which died even before reaching adulthood.”

Six adult giraffes died within a span of a few months between 2018 and 2019, he added. Other animals are also falling ill because of lack of proper care, added Islam.

Shamsul Azam, the park’s project director, said that he also found Nizam absent from work on various occasions.

“Male giraffes will have to be brought in to the park. But the fact that a few of the female giraffes are pregnant gives us hope that they’ll give birth to male calves,” he said.

Nizam Uddin, however, refuted the allegations, saying it is part of a plot against him.