The authorities have laid out plans for the Rangpur Zoo of Rangpur district and the Bangladesh National Zoo at the capital’s Mirpur. Talks are being held to remodel both the zoos not as places of captivity but as sanctuaries, where animals can roam around freely. The zoos are to become a safe haven where the concept of ‘viewing’ animals shifts to ‘encountering’ them.

With no people in sight, the animals housed at Bangladesh National Zoo in Mirpur-1 seem to be having the time of their lives (however much is possible within the confines of a cage).

Many of the animals at the Bangladesh National Zoo are passing days with immense suffering. With poor medical care, scarce food and congested cages, the captive animals look so miserable and weak that seeing them is not exactly fun for all the visitors. However, the zoo, located in a sprawling 186 acres of land in Dhaka's Mirpur section, is the 4th largest in the world in terms of area. With two picturesque lakes, a museum, two camping sites, huge gardens and orchards, this zoo has the potential to be one of the best in the world.