‘We are simply not equipped to run safari parks’

Eminent wildlife conservationist Dr Reza Khan said Bangladesh needs to open an independent department with a mandate to manage all the wildlife of the country, including those in safari parks and zoos.

"Bring all zoos, captive breeding centres, ecologically critical areas, eco parks or wildlife and game reserves under this new department. Let this department decide whether it wants a safari park for commercial purposes alone or one for education, research, tourism and wildlife propagation," Reza opined.

Bangladesh does not have a single internationally acclaimed wildlife vet, he said in a recent interview with The Daily Star. 

Reza, who headed the Dubai Zoo for over three decades, said the safari park in Gazipur started operating without a proper masterplan and with unskilled employees.

"Safari parks in Bangladesh do not conform to world standards. They have destroyed natural forests and jeopardised the wildlife. A safari park or zoo must have a vision and a masterplan reflecting its mission. Wild animals from exotic origins can only survive when their proper habitats—with the same temperature and humidity as their countries of origin—can be created and maintained. Diet is a very important factor as well," explained Reza.

"For example, giraffes are not grazers but browsers. So, its diet cannot be only dry grass or pellet food—daily natural browsing opportunities must be provided. On the other hand, zebras cannot thrive in monsoon seasons. It is an animal of the open country or Savannah with semi-arid conditions."

Browsers are herbivores which feed on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growing, generally woody plants such as shrubs. Grazers, on the other hand, feed on grass or other lower vegetation.

The country also does not have a proper lab to test diseases that might affect wildlife, he argued.

"The Dhaka Zoo lab is of low quality with machines lying idle because they were bought without having anyone who has knowledge on how to operate them. The authorities also don't conduct regular check-ups or tests on animals kept at the zoos and parks," he said.  

He added that periodical testing of the animals is necessary and that the reports should be publicly available for any reporter, researcher or member of parliament.

Bangladesh must, first and foremost, hire at least four wildlife experts from South Africa, Singapore or Malaysia.

About the situation in the Gazipur safari park, Reza said the government should stop the park's operation for the time being and form a committee with local and foreign experts to take stock of the park's situation and go forward with the recommendations made by the committee.

About the government initiative of another safari park in Lathitila forest, he said overseas consultant teams should be hired first to do a feasibility study. Based on that, the government should decide if they really want to build a man-made amusement facility inside an existing natural forest with unfamiliar animal species that can destroy the existing habitats of local wildlife.