An Asian black bear named Tara is attracting large crowds at the National Zoo in Dhaka’s Mirpur with its unusual behaviour of walking with its head upside down.
While amusing for visitors, zoologists find such behaviour 'strange' and 'different' from wild bears.
In the wild, bears consume a diverse diet including grass, flowers, fruits, small animals, and honey. And they roam several kilometres through forests every day to forage.
Experts believe that behaviours like Tara's are signs of psychological distress due to the inability to roam freely in a natural habitat.
Reza Khan, a wildlife, zoo, and safari park expert, notes that animals in captivity cannot exhibit natural behaviours due to their confinement.
"In such cages, bears walk with their heads upside down, monkeys may bang their heads against walls or run from one corner to the other. These are clear signs of behavioural disorders of animals caused by captivity," Reza explains.
Rakibul Haq Emil, founding chairman of the People for Animal Welfare foundation, argues that the zoo's structure severely impacts the mental and physical health of the animals.
According to Emil, the close proximity of cages to loud noises from visitors, vehicles, and residential areas exacerbates the stress experienced by the animals.
He told bdnews24.com, “Cages are inhumane. Such displays should not exist in a civilised society.”
Emil said there should have been more vegetation around the walls of the National Zoo, to reduce the risk of noise and pollution.
HOW REASONABLE IS CHILDREN’S PARK AT ZOO?
All the paraphernalia added to the National Zoo for the entertainment of the visitors at times cause discomfort to the animals.
The integration of Shishu Park, a children's amusement area established in 2021 and surrounded by animal cages, has added further stress with its constant loud music.
Surrounded by animal cages, the park has different types of rides to entertain the children, while loud music is played all the time.
Animal behaviour specialists highlight that such noise can provoke various psychological issues in zoo animals.
Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Talukder, the director of the zoo, acknoeledges these concerns. He told bdnews24.com: "The issues (parks and noise pollution) have been taken into consideration in the plan to renovate the zoo. A 'free zone' will be created away from the mosque where no animals will be housed."
The National Zoo's website calls it 'a unique institution of national-level entertainment'. An average of 4 million people visit the zoo for entertainment every year.
But animal rights activists criticise the zoo's function as an entertainment venue, which they believe compounds the animals' suffering.
In zoos, the large crowds often cause distress for the caged animals. Among the visitors, some engage in disruptive behaviours like attempting to wake sleeping animals, clinging to the cages, and making unusual noises to draw the attention of the animals.
The animals, fed up with such human behaviour, go to the very back edge of the cage and gather, but no one notices that.
Exhausted by such disturbances, the animals retreat to the farthest edges of their cages, seeking refuge. This subtle sign of their discomfort generally goes unnoticed by the public.
During a recent visit to the zoo, an unsettling scene unfolded where a young man was taunting a pregnant monkey by using offensive language. Despite the monkey not understanding the words, it was visibly distressed and withdrew to the far end of its cage.
Nearby, another group of visitors were loudly mimicking the calls of hoolock gibbons, causing further disturbance. The same young man who was teasing the monkey joined this group, adding to the noise.
When questioned about his behaviour, the young man responded nonchalantly, claiming he was "encouraging" the monkeys. He did not respond when asked who had assigned him to' encourage' the zoo animals. He also declined to provide his name when requested.
His demeanour towards the caged animals is not an isolated incident. Such incidents are common in zoos, with many visitors treating interactions with the animals as amusement rather than showing concern for their wellbeing.
A number of visitors take pleasure in teasing the animals by throwing stones at the cages, shaking them to awaken sleeping creatures, and feeding them inappropriate food. When the animals refuse to eat, these visitors often react by causing further commotion, exacerbating the stress and discomfort experienced by the animals.
PENALTIES NEVER ENFORCED
There are clear stipulations in the Zoo Act 2023, which allows for fines of up to Tk 2,000 for molesting animals and harsher penalties of imprisonment of up to two months or fines of up to Tk 5,000 or both for injuring or feeding them improperly.
But enforcement remains lax. Visitors frequently violate these rules without consequence due to insufficient oversight.
The zoo authorities attempt to inform visitors of the rules through loudspeaker announcements, yet these often contribute to the noise pollution rather than solving the problem.
Similar to this 'useless' warning, signboards with prohibition messages have been hung at various places in the zoo, but they too seem to have little effect.
Director Rafiqul acknowledges the challenges of monitoring and managing visitor behaviour effectively.
"Several cages are guarded by just one person," he says, "and in some areas, one keeper must manage four cages."
"We simply don't have enough manpower to effectively monitor each cage and ensure compliance with zoo regulations," he explains.
EFFECTS OF CONFINEMENT
Hoolocks or monkeys are supposed to spend their lives on tree branches. But inside the zoo cages, they do not have the option to live like that.
During a recent visit, chocolate wrappers were seen lying inside the ostrich cage and an ostrich was stomping on it.
The emu was sitting quietly, the tiger was sleeping, the lion was throwing food. Most of the animals looked exhausted; no one had a natural behaviour.
PAW Foundation’s Emil feels that exposure to new people for entertainment and the static life in cages are causing most animals in zoos to suffer from 'behavioural disorders'.
“Each animal has a different nature. The level of sensitivity is also different. They always want to keep themselves clean. But I saw tigers throwing meat, cranes and camels eating their own vomit; These are unusual behaviours.”
According to the animal rights activist, even if animals are born in cages, they genetically want an open environment. Hunting, which is a major feature of their lives, is becoming deranged because they cannot do it here.
“These creatures, alive, but abnormally dying. If an open environment had been created, visitors could see them from a distance, then the animals would not feel disturbed.
“Such nets are installed around the tiger cages that the visitors cannot see them from a distance. As a result, a crowd gathers near the cage.”
According to Emil, the authorities are not paying attention to the important 'technical' issues except food and cleanliness because common people cannot sense these problems. “But these are the most important issues.”
NOT AN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
Dhaka University Zoology Professor Niamul Naser told bdnews24.com that there is no such zoo in the world as the one in Dhaka.
The authorities consider it a place of entertainment.
In the description found in the 'Bangladesh National Zoo at a Glance' sub-category in the 'About Us' section of the National Zoo website, 'entertainment' is listed as one of the objectives of the zoo.
Prof Naser said, “But zoos are not entertainment centres. It’s a place where endangered animals should be kept and cared for. They are disturbed by the sound, but cannot speak and it affects their psychology, behaviour, diet and every other thing. They will not eat properly and will turn away from food because of the sound.”
bdnews24.com spoke to Dubai City Corporation wildlife consultant Reza Khan about what a modern zoo should look like.
He said that the national zoo of Bangladesh is running with the idea of the 60s of the last century. There was no reflection of the new century zoo concept, no changes were made.
“The national zoo is essentially a government institution. Those who are here do not know much about animals. Zoos are generally managed by wildlife experts and zoologists who conduct research on the subject. How can a person who has never seen a tiger in nature understand the life cycle of a tiger? That's why our zoos are made like human homes."
Reza Khan said, “The soles of animals are not made to walk on hard surfaces. After five-six years, the pain starts. But no one in the zoo knows that such a place is unfit for them to live.”
LOSING FERTILITY
Among the six objectives mentioned in the guidelines of the National Zoo, number two is 'collection and breeding of rare and endangered wildlife' and number four is 'conservation of animal diversity'.
But the zoo is in danger of running out of vultures as the vultures lose their ability to reproduce.
In 1979, the first vulture conservation was started in Mirpur Zoo with three vultures. Four more vultures caught by humans in different parts of the country were brought to the zoo.
An old male vulture of the endangered species died in 2016, and now six have survived. They have never bred since being caged at the National Zoo. But their life inside the cage is now at the end.
Prof Naser sees the non-breeding of vultures in zoos as a 'warning message'. He suggests that every animal in the zoo should live in its natural environment.
“They need an environment the way they live in nature. Then they could think, 'This is my house.' Although the oxygen is a little less, the vulture lives in high trees and eats more. These can be researched.
“In zoos of many other countries, arrangements are being made to preserve and breed rare species of animals. These are made possible by researchers working with zoos. Such researchers should be kept in the National Zoo as well.”
According to the website information, currently there are 3,342 animals and aquarium fish of 135 species in 237 cells in 137 cages of the National Zoo. About 4 million visitors come to see these animals every year.
The zoo was closed during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Animals were comparatively better at that time as there was no crowd. There were no unwanted words. No stones were thrown, neither were the bullies.
“The cage will have glass instead of a net, the animal won't see me from inside, but people will see them. There should be a system so that no word gets to the animal,” Prof Naser said.
“The zoo should be open for visitors two days a week. The number of tickets on these two days will be fixed. Animals should not be disturbed by overcrowding of visitors. They should be rested."
MASTER PLAN
In 2019, the government had agreed to implement a master plan for Rangpur Zoo, along with Mirpur Zoo. But it is still not approved.
Former zoo director Abdul Lafit hinted to bdnews24.com in 2021 that the master plan could take 15 years to implement.
The zoo is to be divided into five zones under the master plan. In the plan, there is a 'Bangladesh Habitat Zone' for native animals, an 'African Habitat Zone' for African animals, a separate zone for pets, an 'Active Zone' and a 'Nocturnal Animal Zone' for children and visitors.
Director Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Talukder does not see a way to solve any problem of the zoo until the master plan is implemented.
So will the animals continue to suffer until then?
The ticket management of the zoo is still going on according to traditional rules, but it will be modernised, Rafiqul said.
“Tickets will be sold in advance. If this can be done, the number of visitors will be controlled. And people should be given alternative entertainment. It is also a place of education. Where would they go without it? The number of zoos in the country needs to be increased. If that can be done, it will be possible to control the number of visitors.”
The government leases the zoo ticketing system to a contractor for a fixed period every year. The contractor takes this lease for Tk 100 or Tk 120 million.
Rafiqul said, on special days, about 200,000 visitors enter the zoo, which causes stress for the animals. If the master plan is implemented, it will be possible to reduce the number of visitors.
“But the more visitors come in the process, the more profit the contractor will make,” he said.
When asked when the master plan will be implemented, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdur Rahman told bdnews24.com, "There are many formalities required for implementation. It is difficult to say exactly when it will be done."
As the officers of the National Zoo are transferred, for a long time there is no opportunity for any officer to take care of a particular animal.
The minister said: "People will be appointed in such a way that the zoo runs well."
Asked if there is any plan to refurbish the rest of the country's zoos, he said, "The process has started, the rest will be done gradually."