One of the two caged bears has a rotting wound. Part of the animal's leg has come off, and turmeric powder has been sprinkled on the wound. Every little while the bear writhes in pain, then falls asleep again. Its body shows it is very weak.

This is how wild animals were being kept and made to suffer in an illegal mini zoo at Joynul Abedin Park in Mymensingh. The zoo has now been sealed off and 27 species of wild animals seized.

Officials of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit from Dhaka inspected the zoo on the afternoon of Tuesday (8 April) and sealed it in the evening. They seized 27 species of native animals kept there illegally, including a python, two peacocks, five deer, two greater adjutant storks, a crocodile, two bears, a porcupine, five monkeys and various birds.

The mini zoo was set up under private management around 2013 on land rented from Mymensingh City Corporation. It was leased at a nominal price by Selim, brother-in-law of Mahbubur Rahman Dulal, a former councillor of Ward 4 and panel mayor 2. Mahbubur Rahman Dulal later took over running it.

Since then animals were caged and shown to visitors who bought tickets, and the business was expanded with a restaurant and rides. After the fall of the Awami League government, they went into hiding, and Mizanur Rahman Mamun, a former organising secretary of the ward BNP, took charge of the zoo.

Abul Kalam Azad, who is involved with several social organisations, told Jagonews24 that visitors had been unhappy from the start with cleanliness, irregularities and mismanagement, but no proper steps were taken. Recently a bear's leg rotted and began to smell, causing criticism on social media. "We are happy the Wildlife Crime Control Unit has sealed it, because the animals were suffering badly," he said.

A zoo worker, Kamal Hossain, said the zoo had 24 species including deer, bears, crocodiles, langurs, donkeys and pythons, but after the death of a fishing cat there are now 114 animals of 23 species. Visitors can enter with a Tk 30 ticket.

Zoo director Mizanur Rahman Mamun said visitors enter for a nominal fee and the animals are given the best care. Even so, a bear was injured and fell ill, its leg rotted and a sore formed, and it was being treated by a veterinarian.

Wildlife and biodiversity officer Rathindra Kumar Biswas said some of the seized animals will be kept at the safari park in Gazipur and the rest released. Visitors will no longer be allowed into the zoo. The sick bear is too weak to be moved now; a professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) will treat it regularly and it will be taken away once it recovers.

Nargis Sultana, an inspector of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit, said collecting, possessing, displaying and keeping wildlife is a punishable offence. The environment there is very unhealthy for any animal or bird, native or foreign, yet the zoo held 48 native animals in breach of the rules. "We are taking 27 of them. The rest will stay here for treatment," she said, adding that legal action will be taken against the zoo authorities.

Sumona Al Majid, secretary of Mymensingh City Corporation, said the corporation only allocated land for the zoo and is not responsible for the animals. If the operators cannot protect the animals and break the terms of the contract, the lease will be cancelled and other necessary action taken, she said.

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