The zebras died at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur due to negligence in duty by staff members at the part and due to internal strife, Gazipur 3 MP Mohammad Iqbal Hossain has alleged.
He made the allegation while visiting the park on Sunday following the deaths of 11 zebras.
Zahidul Kabir Sabuj, project director at the park, also admitted that a tiger had died in the park in January, and that the news was concealed by the management.
After a meeting, an investigation committee was formed over the deaths of the zebras, The MP told reporters that the animals did not die due to natural causes.
The zebras were killed so that the employees engaged in the internal strife could blame each other and gain an upper hand, he added.
The lawmaker said nobody knew that a tiger had died in the safari park.
Lawmaker Iqbal asked the members of the inquiry committee to remove Zahidul Kabir, the project director, and Tabibur Rahman, the officer-in-charge, from their posts for their negligence.
Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, additional secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said nothing concluding could be said before the ongoing investigation was over.
Meanwhile, the inquiry committee visited the park on Sunday.
They contacted foreign experts and experienced doctors to prevent such deaths of zebras.
The committee also talked to South African farm owners from where the zebras were imported.
Eleven zebras died within a month till Saturday at the park
Nine of the 22 zebras in the park died between January 2 to 24, the park authorities disclosed on Tuesday. Two more Zebras fell ill on Saturday and died later in the day.
On Saturday noon, the members of the medical board held an emergency meeting in the park.
On Wednesday, the five-member inquiry committee was formed to find out the real cause of the deaths of 10 zebras and asked to submit the investigation report within 10 working days.
