Imagine a National Zoo with no cages. Majestic tigers prowl and monkeys swing from tree to tree in their natural habitat, while you witness the whole scene from the safety of a floating platform or tram just out of reach.
This vision is on track to become reality as the government is planning a major overhaul of the Bangladesh National Zoo in Dhaka’s Mirpur to turn it into a modern safari park.
Under the new design, the zoo will be split up into several zones where animals roam freely while visitors observe from a safe distance. In order to allow safe viewing of the animals, visitors will be transported through the zones on boats, floating pontoons, trams, and other vehicles.
The planned zones include a Bangladesh habitat, African habitat, tropical habitat, nocturnal habitat, engineered wetland, and a nursery.
The Rangpur Zoo, which is smaller in size than the Mirpur Zoo, is also going to undergo a similar rework.
World renowned consulting firm Bernard Harrison and Friends Ltd has nearly finished the masterplan for the two zoos. The project would cost the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock about Tk1,500 crore.
“The Dhaka Zoo will be renovated in three phases. We will not shut down the zoo for the renovation but relocate the animals from one part to another for the work,” Abdul Latif, director of the national zoo, told Dhaka Tribune.
After finalizing the plan, the project will be placed before ECNEC for funding in the next fiscal year.
"The zoos [Dhaka and Rangpur] will be restructured as needed to determine the various zones, infrastructure construction plans and other issues. The master plan will consider the issue of keeping the natural environment intact," said Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim.
Infograph Dhaka TribuneWhat will the Mirpur Zoo look like?
As per the plan, the three principal zones of the Mirpur Zoo will each be based on an existing forest. The Bangladesh habitat will be based on the Sundarbans, while the Tropical habitat will be modelled after the Sal Forest, and the African habitat after the Okavango Delta Wetland.
The banks of the North Lake of the zoo will be lined with floating pontoon boardwalks, creating a circular walking trail to view the animals. The zone has been conceptualized as a lake safari, where a ride on a traditional boat will give a feel of Sundarbans. The 18-hector zone will have 21 animal enclosures hosting 102 species of fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
In the African habitat, visitors will travel using a modified truck to recreate a safari experience, while aquatic and semi-aquatic enclosures in the South Lake can be viewed through another boat ride. The 22.4-hectare area will have 20 animal enclosures for 40 different species, according to the masterplan.
The boats to be used will likely be catamaran type boats used in the Okavango Delta due to low draft and stability.
The Tropical habitat and zoo tram route will be located in the centre of the zoo. The tram will take visitors around the site from the south entrance, making stops at the Bangladesh and African habitats.
Asian elephants will have a large pool for swimming in the Tropical zone. There will be orangutans, hoolock gibbons, northern pig-tailed macaques, squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys, black and white ruffed lemurs, and coatis. This will be a 14.1-hectare area with 26 animal enclosures and 66 species.
The nocturnal habitat will be a walking train open only at night and designed in conjunction with an upmarket restaurant which overlooks the South Lake. The 4.5-hectare zone will have 10 animal enclosures for 15 species.
The night safari will have a separate gate ticket.
What will happen to the trees?
According to the plan, the intent is to recreate the visual appearance of the four habitats in landform, plant species and their arrangement in the landscape.
The main concern is whether the plant species from original habitats will grow in Dhaka and can be sourced locally. If the original species are not available or able to adapt to the area, substitute plant species will have to be grown.
For this reason, instead of the Sundarbans’s mangrove species, the authorities will choose trees that grow in freshwater, can be easily sourced and grown in bags up to for three years.
According to the masterplan, the existing 5,505 trees will be incorporated into the new design.
Other facilities
According to the plan, The zoo will have an activity zone where there will be a petting zoo for children to view docile animals. This will be beside a playground.
Furthermore, two amphitheatres will be designed: one for a birds of prey presentation beside the North Lake, and another for a mixed species animal presentation.
There will be no aquarium zone but an estuary and Sundarbans underwater tank at the Bangladesh habitat sub-interpretation centre and a freshwater tank in the African habitat sub-interpretation centre.
There will also be a waste management zone and recycling plant.
The Back of the House (BOH) zone will be for a few one-storey buildings to house substations, workshops, and a veterinary hospital.
The existing south entrance will be upgraded with an internal plaza. The main entry building will be for ticketing, guest services, retail shops, a café, public toilets, arrival and exit, and other matters, according to the plan.
There will also be a parking building at the main entry for 300 cars. There will be parking for 270 cars at the second entry.
The plan adds a new north entry that will direct visitors to the North Lake.
