ANOTHER piece of disturbing news comes from Mirpur National Zoo. The biggest Royal Bengal tiger in it died last Wednesday under mysterious circumstances. Reports have it that three tigers bom of same mother got into a fight in the habitat outside their cage. One of them was seriously injured on 28 May. The tiger died during treatment and the postmortem on it was done at the Zoo quarantine. Subsequently there was a total hush-hush over the whole episode and the tiger was ‘ buried behind the morgue of the veterinary hospital after it was skinned. Mysteiy thickened as the workers and other employees of the zoo were cautioned by the higher authorities not to show any excessive interest in the death of the tiger. But some of the Zoo employees and workers of the Veterinary Hospital suspecting wrong-doing worked their way into the burial place of the tiger and the news circulated. With the death of this tiger the number has dwindled to eighteen.

For quite some time now there have been a number of allegations against the Zoo authority for their indifference to and maltreatment of the inmates of the Zoo together with pilferage of animal food. Only the other day Sultana, a baby elephant, died and so did a lion. Before that, four tigers, a giraffe, an orang-utan, a camel and a dolphin breathed their last. Besides, a number of snakes and a flock of birds have also died in unclear circumstances.

Zoo doctors are often blamed for their illegal activities and negligence of duty which are all known to higher authorities. It is time they are transferred from the Zoo. We demand an end to corruption and mismanagement at the National Zoo. Let an inquiry committee be immediately set up to probe the irregularities and punish the persons responsible for the premature deaths of prized animals.