CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
The necessity for establishment of a zoological garden in the erstwhile province of East Pakistan was felt at the very inception of Pakistan in the year 1947 as there was no such garden in this province. This had been receiving attention of the Government since 1947. In 1947 a dire necessity of establishing a state-owned zoological garden was felt. A Zoo started at High court premises of Dhaka with a limited number of species of animals. Government approved a master plan with a view to establish a zoological garden at Mirpur in 1960.
An advisory board was constituted for establishment and proper management of zoo the following year. After necessary construction and procurement of animals from home and abroad the zoo was opened on June 23, 1974. Till then it has been gradually grown into a beautiful and attractive zoological garden exhibiting animals in natural settings using modern method of keeping.
Main objectives of Dhaka Zoo are wildlife conservation through collection and breeding of rare and endangered species of wild animals, research & education and recreation. Zoo also involved in conservation of wild animals, education, research on wild animals and promotion of public awareness about these species.
About 3.9 million visitors visit Dhaka Zoo every year. It is a hub for healthy recreation of peoples of all ages. Peaceful environment of the zoo attracts people to gate relief from the hustle and bustle urban life.
It is the national zoo under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. Area of this zoo is approx 75 hectares. It has two lakes of about 13 hectares, which receive thousands of migratory birds every year in winter season. The total number of fauna in the zoo is found nearly 2,150 of 191 sp...
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...ost of as long as access to, or consumer valuation of the resources.
1.2 Goal & Objectives of the Study
“The principle objective of the study was to measure the recreational and economic value of the Dhaka Zoological Garden” -This broad objective segmented into specific Objectives.
The specific objectives of the study was to investigate –
1) If there exists the usual functional relationship between travel cost and Zoo visitation rate;
2) To determine the factors that affect visitors ‘Willingness to pay (WTP)’ for recreational services of the Zoo;
3) To estimate the Consumer Surplus and recreational value (benefits) of the Dhaka Zoo;
4) Use these values to establish effective guideline and efficient policy for Dhaka Zoo and also determine an optimal entrance fee for visiting the Dhaka Zoo considering discount rate.
1World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)
Peoples Trust article “Zoos & Conservation” touched surface solely on zoos located in Britain. What about the rest of the world? Luckily there is a group called the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) that inspects zoos and aquariums making sure that they are fit for conservation. For instance, the Giza Zoo In Cairo was shut down for killing two gorillas that may have been infected with disease and for extra pay putting visitors in danger so they could pet any animal they requested. Now if one of these animals were to attack a visitor then they would put down the animal in which is just doing what its instincts tell them.
Zoo’s still remain as important part of any community and to the hearts of young children every year. It is estimated that more people annually visit zoos than enter all U.S. national Parks and that approximately and that 35% of people who attend zoos are adults.
...ological needs to self-actualization needs (Kotler, Burton, Deans, Brown &Armstrong, 2013). The main target segment of Australia Zoo may be domestic customers aiming to satisfy their social needs. It can be seen from IBIS Report (2013) that 26% revenue of zoos are earned from domestic visitors while only 8% from international visitors. Many of domestic customers are busying with work or study. This characteristic makes them have bigger desire of social needs. Australia Zoo is more than a place to gain family togetherness and companionship. By adopting an animal, customers can also satisfy their social needs, like sense of belonging and love.
Thousands of zoos worldwide are visited by citizens yearly to admire and satisfy their curiosity of the beautiful wild animals that mother nature has to offer. Zoos have been around for hundreds of years and have become a known tradition for numerous school field trips and family outings. The ongoing debate between animal rights activists and zoo officials remains, should wild animals be taken from their natural habitats to live in city zoos for education and entertainment purposes?
Have you ever seen an animal sitting in a cage all alone with nothing to do. Well, zoos are trying to change that fact. They will allow the animals to live in an environment that is like their home. Many people don't realize this, but zoo are keeping and breeding these animals because they would not survive in the wild alone. In the three passages, ¨The Stripes Will Survive,¨ ¨The Zood Go Wild from No More Dodos,¨ ¨Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment.¨ All of these articles present one claim, that is that the role of zoos is no longer to keep animal, but to protect them.
The history of change regarding the varying displays of animals has been gradual yet profound. A clear shift has been evident surrounding the role and nature of a zoo’s position within society. When assessing zoological history it seems that there are three distinct phases. From the early collections where animals were kept and used for religion, hunting and entertainment to the private menageries in which wild animals were contained as a sign of wealth, dominance and privilege and more recently the development of zoos as modern ins...
What about zoos in other regions of the world? This question is a good one; as it applies to regional views. Zoos all over the world have different rules; for visitors and their animals, depending on who and where they are located. China has a main focus on saving their giant pandas from extinction; note they are vulnerable, but can end up endangered once more. Some zoos run on donations; Cheyenne Mountain zoo and Dartmoor zoo, while others are federally paid; Denver zoo. Each zoo has a mascot to be the main view; Cheyenne mountain has a giraffe, Denver has a lion, Australia zoo has a crocodile, but under that mascot are other animals branched out. This means that no zoo is a like; they may have the same animals, but their rules and lifestyle are entirely different.
Since approximately 1250 B.C., ancient Egyptians had created and practiced the capture and display of animals in what are now known as zoos (Fravel). Records describe such exotic animals as birds, lions, giraffes, and tigers in captivity (Fravel). Since then, zoos have continued to entertain millions with the exciting chance to view exotic animals up close and personal. Even in ancient Greece, exotic animals were on display in fighting arenas, and in enclosed viewing areas. Originally in America, zoos were just created so that royalty and the wealthy could flaunt their exotic animals to the public (Leolupus). Today, with species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, zoos are serving a new purpose other than the mere exhibition of animals – conservation. (Fravel). When you think of a zoo, you either think of a fun, entertaining place that provides close-up and exciting exhibits of wild animals that you would otherwise never get the chance to see, or a place where people keep suffering, unhappy animals captive just for entertainment and display. However, despite whichever view you hold, and despite the stereotypes, some zoos have evolved to serve alternative and helpful purposes. Although some zoos face controversy due to allegations such as lack of space and quality care, neglect, and cruelty, some zoos have programs specifically designed to help and protect animal species. For example, these zoos have programs that help such conservation efforts as breeding.
The Surabaya Zoo, as disgusting as it is, sees a lot of tourists every day. Being the oldest and one of the most diverse zoos in the world, it is no surprise the zoo sees a lot of traffic. The zoo sees a ton of people each day; around 7,000 people show up to the zoo each day and about 40,000 people visit Surabaya on big holidays. (“Zoo Takes Terrible…”). Perhaps a reason the zoo sees so many tourists could be the cheap entrance prices. The tickets to get into Surabaya zoo only cost $2. (“Indonesian Zoo Shaken…”). That is quite different from the prices paid here in Indiana to get into Indianapolis’s zoo; we...
What do you think about zoos? Children standing in front of big cages, feel excited to see those lovely animals and share the joy with their parents. Parents will then read aloud the information on the signs to educate the children. At lunch hour, animals in bonds wait for delicious dishes provided by zoo keepers and live happily ever after. It seems that zoos are really a heaven to us and animals. It gives us a place to keep close to nature, saving those little pitiful things in wild. Unluckily, that is not the truth we wished. Indeed, zoos magnify their contribution to educational circle, exaggerating the importance of role play in conservation work, in order to cover those disgraceful secrets behind.
Zoos display fascinating animals from all over the world for human entertainment, research, conservation, and education. Many scientists conduct studies on animals in captivity that they may not have been able to in the wild. Zoos educate all the visitors that come; they let people know everything that they know about the animals on display. We do learn a lot from these animals, but not all of the animals in the zoo are behaving like they normally would in the wild. Larger animals, such as elephants and orcas (commonly known as killer whales), have trouble with being confined in such a small area. However, many smaller animals benefit from zoos because they provide protection from predators, natural disasters, and poachers. They also benefit from conservation efforts; the babies being born get all the care they could ever need. Some animal rights activists are concerned that the conservation efforts are limiting the gene pool of the species. They argue that the small number of animals able to breed in captivity limits biodiversity and leads to weaknesses in the species overall. Zoos are wonderful places to study and learn about animals, but we need to improve the living standards for animals that struggle with captivity.
Zoos bring human kind closer to wild life. Though, sometimes that means taking the animal out of its natural habitat. Some animals have lost most of their habitat and are on the verge of extinction. In this way, the zoo helps the animals rather than using them as a form of human entertainment. Zoos also allow humans to study different kinds of animals more closely. Some zoos on the other hand manipulate the animals to acquire as much revenue as possible rather than being concerned with the welfare of each animal.
Zoos are public parks that claim to display animals for the purpose of education and procreation of endangered species; but in reality Zoos area actually doing more harm than good. Animals that live in zoos are more likely to suffer from illness or injury as opposed to those who live in the wild, and they also have shorter lifespans.
Supporters of zoos argue that they help to conserve endangered species, but in fact they are not very good at this. Even the world famous panda-breeding programme has been very costly and unsuccessful. Also, zoo life does not prepare animals for the challenges of life in the wild. For example, two rare lynxes released into the wild in Colorado died from starvation even though the area was full of hares, which are a lynx’s natural prey.
Zoos are massively valuable to education. Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction. Zoos give instruction by teaching about animals and how to care for them as well. Zoos educate the public by showing them the different animals, how they act, how dangerous they are, and how to treat them according to the article “Education – Association of Zoos and Aquariums.” Zoos are an important part of education because without a public zoo some might not know how dangerous some animals are and get killed by them or even unknowingly kill an endangered species. Also without zoos the education on animals study would lack curiosity because of a poor presentation of examples. Children need to see to believe and without that aspect the education towards animals would suffer tremendously. A total of 175 million people have been educated because of zoos. They are educated about wild animals, their related conservation issues, their habitats, and the ways in which they can contribute to their preservation of these animals.