Gazipur Safari Park at Sreepur in Gazipur has received three adult tigers from Chattogram Zoo in exchange for six zebras. The tigers arrived at the park by truck, under special arrangements, early on Friday (13 November). Three zebras have already gone to Chattogram and the other three will follow within days.
The tigers have been put in separate enclosures, said Tarek Rahman, the park's officer in charge and an assistant conservator of forests with the Forest Department. The new arrivals will give visitors more chance to see tigers, he said.
Park officials said several tigers were brought from abroad after the park was set up; some have since died and some cubs have been born. The tigers in the park's enclosure were reaching the end of their lifespan, so the park and the government had been preparing to import more.
Then they learned that Chattogram Zoo had more tigers than it needed but no zebras, while the safari park had surplus zebras, and the two agreed to swap animals. A truck took three zebras to Chattogram on Wednesday night, and the same truck set off for Gazipur with the three tigers on Thursday night.
The tigers are in full health after the long journey and are eating on time, said Md Raju Ahmed, the park's wildlife inspector; they are being kept under special care. With the three new arrivals the park now has 10 tigers in all.
This report is based on a story by Prothom Alo's Gazipur correspondent. The photograph shows the entrance to the park's tiger and lion safari, taken under the park's former name.
Photo: Muminur Rahman / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Prothom Alo
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