Tiger cub's death
S. M. A. Rashid, PhD, Mohammadpur, Dhaka
Yet another incident of non-professionalism by the zoo staff (June 26, 2003). The tiger cub was reported sick. I do not know if the veterinary doctor took any precautionary measure or any attempts to diagnose the sick cub. If any measures were taken the public should be informed of that. The zoo staffs are responsible for the welfare of the captive animals under their care and are accountable to the public. The authorities should investigate the case seriously and if any instance of negligence is found the concerned staffs should be punished. The tiger is an endangered animal in the wild and is a flagship species. Because of this royal status, the zoo tigers also enjoy the 'same status' and are loved by people of all ages, especially children.This raises the concern that the zoo staffs are not adequately trained to manage and treat wild animals. As has been rightly pointed out by Dr. Reza Khan (DS, June 11), my letter (DS, June 13) in the recent debate over the controversial statement of the curator. The concerned authorities should seriously think of transferring the zoo either under the Ministry of Environment & Forest or to give authority to some private enterprise to run the business and appoint relevant trained personnel for the maintenance and welfare of the zoo and captive animals respectively.
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