Pet culture grows, business too

Bangladeshis are nowadays spending more on their pets – a growing culture that is driving pet business locally in conformity with the country’s steady economic growth over the past few years.

Despite going through the pandemic, Bangladesh imported live pet animals and birds worth Tk 285.21 crore in Fiscal Year 2020-21 which was the highest since Fiscal Year 2016-17.

In FY 2019-20, pets worth Tk 229.77 crore were imported while in FY 2018-19 the pet import amounted to Tk 277.02 crore, in FY 2017-18 it was Tk 206.02 crore and in FY 2016-17 it was Tk 176.26 crore, according to the National Board of Revenue.

Alongside imported species of pets and birds, local breeds also have huge demand in the market, said pet traders.

The Dhaka University Market at Kantaban is the hub of pet animals and birds with around 400 shops. Pet shops are also scattered in Gulshan, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nimtali and Kaptan Bazar.

Bazlur Rahman Shikder, general secretary of Aqua and Pet Association at Kantaban, said the annual turnover at the Kataban market alone crosses Tk 30 crore.

There are more than 2,000 pet shops across the country and the market is growing by about 10-12 per cent every year, according to Bazlur.

One pet owner Catholic Karoby Shihab said she keeps six cats, and her average expense on them is minimum Tk 7,000 to Tk 8,000 a month.

“I love cats. I could have shared a flat with others but for these cats, I need an entire flat. If these cats fall ill, expense goes up,” said Karoby.

Around 50 private clinics of pets in Dhaka are doing brisk business by giving consultancy, surgery and other services to the pets.

The clinics are mostly located in posh areas such as Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani and Uttara in the capital.

Khairunnahar completed her graduation in agriculture but she has a knack for keeping cats. She said on average she needs to spend Tk 1,500 to Tk 2,000 on per cat per month.

Economic analysts say the surge in the number of pets indicates a rising number of affluent people; the Bangladesh Bank’s recent data shows that despite the pandemic, the number of millionaires has increased by about 17,293 in the past one and a half years.

Once pets were seen in the well-off families but now various types of people keep pets as part of their hobbies, and also as a way of income generation.

The rising number of middle and affluent class, increased purchase power, and a changed lifestyle are reasons for people becoming pet lovers, according to researchers.

Professor Md Abul Hossen, Department of Social Work, Jagannath University, said now extended families are turning into nuclear families where people are considering pets as their best company as well as some people are fulfilling their hobby and doing business.

A recent article published in the Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences said people are becoming gradually interested in the rearing of pets because urban society is being gradually faced with loneliness when pets can give a good company.

Md Billal, proprietor of Billal Bird Shop at Kantaban market, said farms of rabbits, cats, dogs and various types of birds have developed in Gazipur, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Pabna, Khulna, and many other districts. He said Muktagacha of Mymensingh is well-known for rabbit farms.

Billal said just a few years ago, most pet animals were imported but now only parents and a few puppies, baby cats, and only rare types of birds are imported from overseas and many people are breeding pet animals across the country.

Md Habibbur Rahman, a public servant, told The Business Post that he had been rearing cockatiels, budgerigar, parrot, and lovebirds for the past five years. During the lockdown he sold five pairs of baby birds at Tk 80,000.

At Kantaban market, the German Shepherd is the highest priced dog.

Russian Samoyed dog is the best seller among other varieties. A Russian Samoyed dog is sold at Tk 25,000.

The price of a Japanese Space dog is Tk 35,000 to Tk 40,000, and English Kishan dog Tk 20,000-30,000, French Mastiff Tk 70,000 Golden Retriever or Gun dog Tk 40,000- 45,000, said a seller at the Zen Pet Shop at Kantaban.

A pair of Macau birds sells at Tk 30,000 and a couple of cockatiels Tk 5,000 to Tk 6,000. Cockatiels are also the best seller bird in the market, said Md Shimul proprietor of Birds Zoo.

The Persian cats are favourite to buyers over others. The price of a baby cat is Tk 25,000 to Tk 30,000; there are many varieties of Persian cats, said the seller of SN Pet Shop.

Dr Md Shahidul Islam, Central Veterinary Hospital on Alauddin Road, told The Business Post every day nearly 150 to 200 pet lovers come to hospital with pets for treatment.

Most of the pets are cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, pigeons, and parrots, he said.

The vet observed that the number of pets has surged in recent years.

Md Anaet Elahi has been rearing a cat for eight years and he came to the Central Veterinary Hospital for treatment of his cat.

He told The Business Post that his cat required surgery twice.

Md Sadiqur Rahman Galib, owner of Khulna Kennel, said he reared two dogs for protecting his fish farm in 2015 but now he has a collection of 10 varieties of dogs including the German Shepherd dog.

“I have been supplying them to The Border Guard Bangladesh for the past two years. So far I have sold puppies worth nearly Tk 1 crore and every year I sell puppies worth at least Tk 10 lakh,” he explained.

Rearing rabbits also became popular among Bangladeshis and for the first time in 1999, Jalal Nagar Development Programme under the supervision of Md Ali Khasru raised a rabbit farm at Sherpur.

But at present, many people of the country are starting this business commercially. “More than 3,000 rabbit farms are now are there in only Mymensingh and Tangail,” Khasru said.

One Hasanur Rahman Hasan is popular in his locality as Bird Hasan.

He started rearing birds in 2004 at Sherpur of Bogura and now he sells worth about Tk 15 lakh every year.

“Sherpur has 200 bird farms and there are more than 1,000 bird farms in Bogura district,” he said.

TarequeImtiaze is well-known for his Youtube videos of pet animals. He sold a Persian cat for more than Tk 10 lakh. He told The Business Post that rearing cats is becoming popular day by day. More than 20,000 people are involved in cat farming, most of the people are raring cats for commercial purposes now.