A giraffe suffering from uterine cancer has died at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur. The giraffe died on 20 October, but the matter came to light only on Saturday afternoon (4 November). With its death, the park now has only two giraffes left, and both are female.

Dhaka divisional forest officer Sharmin Akter told Jagonews that a six-member medical board carried out a post-mortem after the death. The giraffe had been treated under the same board since it fell ill. On the board's decision, the body was buried in a designated area inside the safari park. The park authorities filed a general diary with Sreepur police station over the death.

According to the medical board's report, all three giraffes at the safari park were female. With no male giraffe, there was no mating. The uterus of this mature giraffe, which had failed to mate, began to rot, and this later turned into cancer. The giraffe at Dhaka Zoo that could serve as an alternative for mating is also infected with TB, so it would not be right to use it for breeding at the park; that would be very risky. Giraffes cannot be bred at the safari park without buying a new male, but that is not possible either because there is currently no budget to buy one. A new budget would be needed.

Sharmin Akter said the giraffe that died was also female. It had been ill since 2021. Cancer caused its uterus to rot, and the decay later spread to the rear of its body. While ill, it was kept under close observation and treated, and it was kept in a separate place for safety.

Park officials said 10 giraffes were brought from South Africa in two batches when the park was set up in 2013. The park authorities imported them through Falcon Traders, an international animal trading company. Four more giraffe calves were born between 2017 and 2020. On the other hand, several giraffes died of disease between 2018 and 2022. In the end only three female giraffes survived at the park.

Imran Ahmed, conservator of forests of the Forest Department's wildlife and nature conservation circle, told Jagonews that the giraffe died after long treatment. A board of specialist veterinarians carried out the post-mortem according to proper rules, and samples from different parts of the dead giraffe's body have been sent to a laboratory.

He added that steps have been taken to bring more animals to the park. A project proposal has been submitted, and if it is approved the park will be further enriched.

A F M Nasim, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sreepur police station, said a general diary had been filed over the animal's death at the safari park.

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