People naturally want to see caged animals up close. But in the cold, many of the animals and birds at the National Zoo in Mirpur are huddled up, some sitting with their bodies puffed out. They include birds, monkeys, ostriches, peacocks, budgerigars and other birds.

With annual exams over at many schools and colleges, visitor numbers at the zoo have risen despite the cold. This was the scene at the zoo at midday on Friday, 13 December. There was a big crowd in front of the tiger cage, where Royal Bengal tigers Chhaya and Barsha were pacing, to the delight of children. Crowds were also seen at the bear, giraffe, snake and hippopotamus enclosures.

The gates opened after 9am, but the crowd grew after noon. Children made up a relatively large share of visitors. Outside the gate, hawkers had set out stalls of all kinds of goods.

The monkey cage is the first thing visitors see on entering. About two dozen monkeys live in the large cage, jumping into a small swimming pool inside. Visitors were thrilled by their running and diving, and were surprised to see two monkeys suddenly roaming outside the cage.

The report also says that, although the monkey cage used to be the first cage inside the zoo, there are now no monkeys in it because they have been moved elsewhere for maintenance of the cage, and many parents faced questions from children who could not see the monkeys. Past the monkey cage come pelicans and porcupines, then two tiger cages. In one a tiger was resting; in the other Chhaya and Barsha were pacing. A little further on are the lion and bear cages, where the crowd of children was somewhat bigger.

Ten-year-old Titas Ananda, a third-grade pupil at a school in Mohammadpur, stood in front of the tiger cage with his father. Seeing the tigers seemed to give him the most joy. Children and parents also spent a long time in front of the snake, peacock, emu, giraffe and elephant enclosures.

Garment worker Shafiq Ahmed had come from Gazipur with his eight-year-old daughter. He was telling her that most of the cages were empty, with hardly any animals or birds, and that the safari park in Gazipur had more.

Some families sat on the grass eating lunch, khichuri and biryani brought from outside, and some were seen filming videos. The mini children's park inside the zoo was also crowded.

As at the tiger and deer enclosures, people gathered in front of the hippopotamus enclosure. Salaried worker Noman Al Abdullah was showing his children the hippos. He said the children had enjoyed seeing them very much, and that the zoo environment was somewhat better than before.

The month of Agrahayan is ending. For several days, dense fog and chilly winds have increased the cold across the country, and the zoo's animals are huddled up, getting some relief when the sun comes out in the afternoon. The zoo authorities said various steps were taken before winter to keep the animals warm, with special attention to those most affected by cold. Bird cages and others have been covered with jute sacks, and sand and straw have been put in various cages for warmth.

Zoo director Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Talukder said: "We took measures before the cold increased so the animals and birds do not suffer. Small boxes have been made inside the bird cages, and straw has been put in the snake cages. This is giving them comfort."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.