Dhaka National Zoo cages too many animals in too little space

Twelve hippopotamuses are living in a reservoir, which is meant for four.

Another reservoir built for eight alligators is now home to 26 of them. An enclosure holds 212 deer, almost double the capacity. Peacocks have the same miserable story.

These are the scenes of an overcrowded Dhaka National Zoo where animals live in appalling conditions.

With the scorching summer heat, the animals are suffering more and facing serious health risks. Experts fear that overcrowding may threaten their breeding capacity.

The hippopotamus reservoir opened in 1989 with only four hippos. The number has increased three times over the last 28 years, but the place has not expanded in tandem.

The barrier guarding the reservoir of the hippos is so outworn that the animals can break free from captivity anytime. The zoo authorities are also concerned about it.

“Currently, there are 140 species and 2,680 animals living in the zoo,” said SM Nazrul Islam, the curator of the Dhaka National Zoo.

The zoo authorities sent a Tk 250 million renovation plan to the Department of Livestock Services. The plan has long been pending with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock for approval.

To follow up on the status of the project, the curator sent another letter to the ministry on May 11. “We are hoping that the problem will be solved very quickly,” Islam said.

Narayan Chandra Chanda, state minister for fisheries and livestock, said a master plan was underway and downplayed the importance of a separate plan.

“There is nothing much left for us to do for the separate project sent by the zoo authorities.”

Maksudul Hasan Khan, fisheries and livestock secretary, suggested the Dhaka zoo should send some animals to the Rangpur zoo to ease overcrowding.

Bernard Harrison, an internationally acclaimed zoologist who designed Singapore Zoological Gardens, visited Bangladesh recently and advised the authorities to keep 1,500 animals of 80 species by judging the area of the Dhaka zoo.