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ZOO WATCH

Zoo development project in limbo

KAUSAR ISLAM AYON
The Dhaka Zoo development project remained dormant, as the finance ministry is still undecided whether the project will be put under development budget.
Zoo officials said they could not accomplish some badly needed development works due to the delay over funding arrangements for the scheme.
Sources said the finance ministry wants to put this project under revenue budget while the fisheries ministry is opposed to it, throwing the project into uncertainty.
"If the project goes under the revenue budget, it will be difficult to get funds due to the lengthy
procedure. So we are trying to keep it in the development budget," said an official of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
Two years back the zoo authorities submitted a budget of Tk 30 crore for the development project -- Tk 19 crore for Dhaka Zoo and the rest for Rangpur Zoo.
The Dhaka Zoo officials said they need money as they have to get rid of some spare animals and to import some new ones.
The zoo now houses 18 lions, 12 tigers, 150 deer, 3 hippopotamus, 20 pythons and some other species in extra. "We are nurturing these excess animals and for them we have to spend about Tk 60 lakh a year," said Dr NC Banik, deputy curator of Dhaka Zoo.
He said for collecting new animals they have contacted a few zoos in Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and South Africa to exchange animals but they need money for carrying the animals they would get in exchange.
"In exchange of lions and tigers, we will bring giraffe, chimpanzee and other animals to enrich our collection. This will save money needed for buying new animals," said the deputy curator. "On the other hand, we have many species in our collection who are singles. If we can bring their mates, they will be fertile."
"Ten years back I visited the Dhaka Zoo. At that time it was much richer than now," said Abul Kashem who came from
Jessore. "There is no giraffe, camel or baboon in this zoo which I saw during my last visit."
The officials said they need to accomplish some construction work on emergency basis.
"Due to lack of boundary wall of the southern lake, the zoo area remains insecure. Theft of fruits and fishes are taking place regularly. We need to build it soon," said Dr Banik.
He said the southern part of the zoo has already been encroached by some floating people who have built slums there. "We can evict them any time but they will come again if there is no boundary wall," said Banik.
The development scheme includes setting up of a monorail
around the zoo, development of the children's park inside it, renovation and expansion of the zoo museum and fish aquarium and improvement of the overall situation in the zoo.
"The monorail would attract more visitors that will definitely increase our income. The park for children would be an added facility," said Banik.
One of the officials of the fisheries ministry said implementation of this project will make the zoo more profitable.
The yearly expenditure of Dhaka Zoo is around Tk 2.5 crore while they earn about Tk 2.75 crore a year.