The recent tiger attack at the National Zoological Park in Delhi brings back gruesome memories of a similar attack that occurred at Dhaka Zoo on 18, November 1997, when a 9-year-old boy was dragged into a cage and brutally killed by a Royal Bengal tiger. It also brings to mind, concerns about the changes that have been made over the years to prevent another such incident.

Upon entering the Dhaka Zoo, several changes can be observed at a glance. The cages that had once sported iron bars about 2 inches apart, now have metal nets within these bars to prevent either animals or unsuspecting visitors from sticking their limbs in (or out). Despite this however, crowds seem to have found a way to get as close to the animals as possible. This reporter observed people freely crossing the barriers put in place to keep them at least 4ft away from the cages, ignoring the large blaring signs warning them not to do so.

Both adults and children alike, are seen climbing over bars and barriers that lead into open enclosures that house animals such as crocodiles and the hippopotamus, with no security personnel in sight to prevent them from doing so. Many brave souls are also crossing the barriers of the lion and tiger enclosures, leaning against the cages and poking their fingers in, with little thought to the consequences.

The Dhaka Zoo authorities however, have ensured that safety measures are indeed in place. “All the animals in our zoo are kept in strong cages and safe enclosures,” says Dr Enayet Hossain, Curator of Dhaka Zoo. “When it comes to safety I think the people most at risk are our ACTs (animal care takers). We give these individuals training on how to interact with the animals, clean their cages, feed them and how to assess whether an animal is in need of medical attention,” he elaborates. “These trainings are not routine, but we have regular meetings with staff and security officers about these issues.”

When asked how many guards are assigned to monitor visitors, Hossain says, to guard their 237 animal chambers, there are merely 50 guards (including Ansars), who do their job in shifts. It is no wonder, therefore that visitors seem to be doing as they please once they are in through the front gates. “We believe that since we have a huge area to take care of we need more guards to help us do so.”

One will shudder to think what happens when these guards go on leave. “We have given requisitions for more staff as a large number of our posts are currently vacant. If we could fill these, then we would be able to provide better security,” he says. “In order to do so we have to get permission from the appropriate ministry, we need a budget for salary and one to advertise these posts, which we currently do not have. We also believe that some new positions should be created for better safety measures.”

Hossain adds that each cage is monitored by staff at all times. “Our cages are well protected and visitors have no opportunity to enter them. We do not have staff assigned to every cage, but we assign three or four cages to each ACT,” he explains. “When their work hours are over at 3pm, we assign guards, Ansars or other staff members to monitor these cages. We are currently short-staffed so it is not possible to assign one person to each cage.”

The shortage of staff is not only dangerous for the visitors, but for the animals as well. While some raucous visitors sometimes harass the animals by throwing things at them, poking them with sharp objects and feeding them (which is against the rules), others take it a step further. “In a recent incident, some have broken into cages and stolen a number of exotic birds,” Hossain tells us. “Certain areas of the zoo have not been walled up yet, which is risky,” says Hossain, “We plan to start working on that this year.”

Although no deaths or injuries have been reported recently, with the lack of order and security, the atmosphere in the Dhaka Zoo is a volatile one. Authorities are urged to take more measures to ensure the safety of visitors and animals alike.