Visitors throng Dhaka Zoo on first day of reopening

Two siblings, eight-years-old Siyan Rahman and three-years-old Anaya Rahman, were very excited to see the newly-born tiger cubs at the Bangladesh National Zoo on the first day of reopening on Friday.

“I am very excited to see the tiger cubs, lions and monkeys here. I asked my parents to take me to the zoo before, but we had to wait for the reopening. However, I could not see the cubs properly due to the crowd of visitors,” said Siyan, who was a bit disappointed as he could not go close to the tiger enclosure.

Not only Sayan, but also many children along with their parents thronged the zoo on the first day after reopening, after being closed for about five months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the cabinet division allowed all tourist spots and amusement parks to reopen from August 19, the national zoo delayed its reopening citing safety issues for the animals.

During a visit to the zoo, it was found crowded with visitors mostly by children and their parents. However, the visitors paid little attention to hygiene rules or social distancing at the zoo.

“Many people are roaming here without any face mask. The zoo authority should enforce strict health guidelines for the visitors,” said Hasibur Rahman, a visitor at the zoo.

Talking to The Business Post, National Zoo Director Dr Md Abdul Latif said some 15,000 visitors came to see the animals on the first day of the reopening.

“The zoo will remain open for visitors from 9:00am to 6:00pm during summer time. We can host 20,000 to 25,000 visitors every day,” he added.

“Visitors have been instructed to follow hygiene rules. No one will be able to buy a ticket or enter without wearing a face mask. At the same time, social distance must be followed,” he added.

Latif also claimed that after speaking to many visitors, he learned that they were happy with the zoo management and had no complaints over any issue.   

The Bangladesh National Zoo was set up at Dhaka’s Mirpur in 1974 under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. The zoo hosts nearly four million visitors every year.