<i>Chittagong Zoo limps, bores visitors with same animals</i>
The cage of vultures at Chittagong Zoo. The photo was taken on Monday. Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder
Chittagong Zoo has been in a bad shape for over 20 years due to negligence of the management as well as the government. The animals and birds have been kept in worn-out cages at the zoo, the lone place for Chittagong people to be acquainted with the wildlife. The visitors told this correspondent on Sunday that the zoo has been running with same animals and birds that hardly attract them, while noise from nearby hotels has been hampering the tranquil atmosphere. A shop is running at south corner almost on the iron fence of the zoo allowing the outsiders to enter the zoo without tickets. The hotel owner is using a microphone to attract the visitors from the solitary corner of the zoo. Besides, the dirty condition of the zoo also discourages the visitors to come again. The waterbody of crocodile was seen full of small aquatic plants while empty bottles of soft drinks were floating on it. Six large-sized griffon vultures have been kept in a small cage in a very congested manner at the birds' corner. The cage is too small that the vultures cannot open their wings sitting on the designated place inside the cages. Atiqur Rahman, a student of city's Kazem Ali High School, said they are bored seeing the same animals for long and go to the zoo as there is no alternative to it in Chittagong. Sayra Jannat, a housewife who came with her two children at the zoo, said her children want to see rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffe and other rare animals, which the zoo lacks. She said environment inside the zoo is very dirty and noise from outside breaks the tranquility of the place. Zoo superviser Mujibul Haque said a total of 285 wildlife, including 140 birds of 39 species, have been kept in 39 cages in the zoo on an over six acres of land. He said only 18 staffs, including four office staffs and a security guard, are running the zoo situated alongside the picturesque Foy's Lake while a 30-member managing committee headed by the deputy commissioner (DC) supervise it. The zoo started its journey on four acres of land on February 28 in 1989 with a pair of monkeys only. It has now tiger, lion, crocodile, peacock, vulture, turtle, heron, gibbon, deer, monkeys, palm civet, fishing cat, bear, leopard cat, and some other common animals and birds. Sources said people and different organisations have donated most of the animals to the zoo while one Shadhu, who prefers anonymity, topped the list of voluntary donors by giving the highest number of animals and financial help to the zoo. Dr MM Morshed Chowdhury, the zoo incharge and veterinary officer, said all expenditures from procurement to staffs' salary are to meet from the gate money they earn from on average 1,700 to 1,800 visitors everyday. He said they are not going for major renovation since a master plan for expanding the zoo is under process. The iron-fence around the zoo has mostly damaged and it would be repaired after expansion of area of the zoo, he added. In reply to a question on dirty environment inside the zoo, Dr Morshed said some unconscious visitors dump wastage inside the zoo even in the animal cages that cannot be checked properly due to lack of sufficient manpower. He said the government financial assistance is needed to make the zoo attractive for the animal lovers in Chittagong.
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