Bangladesh has witnessed a sharp decline in its tiger population in recent years. In general, the issue of animal conservation itself has often been ignored.
As such, while it is encouraging to hear that a tiger couple has given birth to four more white tiger cubs in the Chittagong Zoo, with the birth resulting in the total number of tigers in the Chittagong Zoo increasing to 16, this is only half the story.
While an increase in numbers of tigers is certainly a positive thing, what must also be addressed is how animals are treated in zoos in Bangladesh.
Zoos have for long been nothing but a glorified circus where animals are kept in abusive conditions to appeal to the masses. There have been multiple reports of animals being starved due to the negligence of the authorities. The institutions also seldom take it upon themselves to protect the animals from the cruel behaviour of the visitors.
Such a status quo is not acceptable. The first and foremost duty of zoos is furthering animal research and working for the cause of animal welfare. Globally, this has given rise to more naturalistic forms of zoos such as nature reserves and animal conservatories.
While Bangladesh has had some success in this area, more is to be done if we want to preserve the traditional wildlife of our country. Issues such as climate change and hunting have already resulted in the decrease of animals such as tigers and deer. Furthermore, the need for further industrialization has taken us on a path of rapid deforestation that is harming the natural ecosystem of the country.
Given these circumstances, the zoo authorities must step up and do everything that is in their power to help with animal conservation.
