H M. Imran Hossain

Few people in the world do not love to travel. Almost everyone wants to give themselves over to nature, and to soothe a restless, tired mind through travel.

Travel is most satisfying when you can lose yourself in a natural setting with your family. The joy of going somewhere with your family cannot be put into words, and all the more so if the destination is the Bangladesh National Zoo.

The National Zoo in Mirpur, in the capital Dhaka, is such a blend of natural surroundings and wildlife that you can lose yourself there with your family in a world of imagination made real. There you can see rare and endangered wild animals from many countries of the world.

It is not only travel lovers who come here. Many come with friends or partners to lose themselves in the beauty of nature and share their feelings.

The National Zoo in Mirpur is the largest zoo in South Asia by number of animals and visitors. You can spend the whole day there with your family and see animals you have never seen before.

The animals range from deer to the Royal Bengal tiger, peacocks, elephants, rhinoceros, giraffes, monkeys, lions, pythons, hippopotamus, bears, crocodiles, zebras and cormorants. The zoo also has a beautiful lake where you can sit and lose track of time.

Deer are the first thing you see on entering, and the sight will charm you straight away. A little further on you will see monkeys at play, a sight that delights everyone from small children to the elderly. Inside their enclosure are two small ponds where the monkeys bathe, and young monkeys can often be seen bathing there, which small children especially enjoy.

A little further on are greater flamingos. Greater flamingos are found in Europe, North America and Australia. These birds are quite tall and live on shrimp, crabs and snails. Watching them will carry your mind into the world of birds in a moment.

A little further again is the African white lion, which the writer says is found in South Africa, France, Serbia and Australia. These lions range from golden to white in colour and eat chicken, horse meat and beef. Meat is always kept in their enclosure as food.

The most eagerly awaited sight in the zoo is the Royal Bengal tiger, king of the forest. Every visitor crowds in to see it, and seeing a tiger with your own eyes makes you realise how fierce it is. Being fierce inside a cage is of no use, though, which is perhaps why the king of the forest is often asleep. If you go at midday especially, you will find the tiger sleeping.

Next to the tiger is the Asian black bear. It is quite large, with jet-black fur, and is usually found in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, China and Japan. Seeing the bear brings back the pictures of bears in your childhood books, now in front of your own eyes.

Walking along the path to the right you will find beautiful natural scenery, where you can sit and shake off tiredness and gloom, and share light-hearted moments with loved ones. Among the trees you will also find various kinds of hawks.

A little further along the right-hand path is the home of the big pythons, snakes and more snakes. At first you will be amazed and also frightened; you will never have seen such huge snakes up close. Many visitors scream when they see them. The writer reflects that however fearsome and powerful wild animals are, the Creator has made them weak before humans, and here one can sense the Creator's glory.

The zoo also has peacocks, rabbits, crocodiles, hippopotamus and countless other animals that you can enjoy with your family.

There is also an attractive children's park inside the zoo, where adults can be seen joining the children in play. Along the path beside the children's park is a lovely lake where many people rest and some share their feelings with loved ones. Next to it is a restaurant for visitors, where you can eat and recharge if you get hungry walking round the zoo.

In this way you can walk round the zoo seeing animals you never knew, and come away with all sorts of experiences with family and friends.

The zoo has an information centre where visitors can get information or services, including:

• anything you need to know about the zoo;
• wheelchairs for elderly or disabled people;
• information about picnics;
• whether commercial photography or filming is allowed.

There are toilets as well. Inside the main gate there are 7 toilets for women and 5 for men, and using them costs Tk 5 a person. Beside the animal museum there are 3 for women and 5 for men, and beside the elephant or children's park 8 for women and 8 for men.

For security, besides the zoo authority's own guards, police and Rapid Action Battalion members are deployed.

Besides the animals and birds, the zoo has two picnic spots named Nijhum and Utsab, a children's park for play and recreation, and separate prayer facilities for men and women. There is also a central mosque.

• If possible, take a bag with you.
• You will have to walk a long way to see the animals and will get thirsty, so buy water near the zoo and carry it. Take food too if you can; it will make things easier.
• Take a smartphone with a good camera, or a camera, so you can capture the beautiful moments.
• Go in with a good attitude. As the zoo is crowded, visit in an orderly way.
• You must leave the zoo before sunset.
• Keep an eye on children who come with you.
• Keep children at a safe distance from the animals.
• Co-operate with zoo staff.

• Do not enter the zoo without buying a ticket.
• If you go with family, do not leave any member alone.
• Do not behave aggressively towards the animals.
• Do not put your hands into the animals' cages or enclosures.
• The zoo grounds are very large and long, so do not rush to see all of it.

From anywhere in Dhaka you can take a local bus bound for Mirpur, or a CNG auto-rickshaw, right up to the zoo gate. You can also go by private car. If you cannot find a direct bus, take any bus to Mirpur 1, get off at Sony cinema hall and take a rickshaw from there.

The writer is a media worker.

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