Taking the opportunity of utter negligence of on duty staff, five hungry dogs entered into the deer-shed of Shaheed AHM Kamaruzzman Central Park and Zoo and devoured four deer at the early hours of Friday. To hush up the incident, Zoo authorities buried the remains of those deer under earth on Friday morning and drove the dogs out.
Supervisor of the zoo Shariful Islam at first said, he has no idea about such incident but the caretaker of animals Modhu informed the pack of hungry dogs had entered through the eastern side of the fence and consumed those deer. He also pleaded that he was not responsible for the incident.
Later, Supervisor Shariful admitted of the incident and informed, 15 calves of deer have been born at the zoo during the last three-month. There were 75 deer at the shed before the dogs entered there now, after consuming four, there are 71. Five scavengers devoured three calves and one large she-deer by hunting and tearing those apiece for a long time and after entering into the shed in the late morning, zoo officials concealed the ravaged body parts of those deer under the earth by digging a hole inside the shed and drove those dogs away.
It is learnt, the deer at the zoo live in two tin shed rooms surrounded by trees and fences made of barbed wire. Even after consuming four deer by the dogs, some more stray dogs were seen to roam inside the zoo on Friday afternoon. A sorurce of Rajshahi Zoo informed, due to utter negligence in performing duties by zoo staff, such a tragic incident of killing of four deer by five stray dogs occurred.
Superintendent of the zoo Mahboob Hossain evaded the incident and advised to talk to Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Farhad Uddin in this connection. However, Dr. Farjhad Uddin did not receive phone calls.
AHM Kamaruzzaman Central Park and Zoo is managed by Rajshahi City Corporation. Executive Magistrate in charge of the Zoo Samar Kumar Paul said the incident was an accident. He added, somehow those stray dogs entered into the deer-shed by intruding the fence. It is thought, at first those dogs attacked three calves but while their mother rushed to rescue those, the dogs attacked and killed all of those. The dogs had eaten all consumable parts of those deer.
Zookeepers in the morning watched the severed body parts of the deer lying inside the shed and satiated dogs sleeping aside, they soon drove away those dogs and buried the remains of the deer under earth inside the shed. Executive Magistrate further said, the Superintendent of the Zoo has been directed to submit a written statement in this connection and the decision will be taken accordingly.