As a result, most of the visitors who stepped once in it hardly find any pleasure to repeat their venture.

Around 2,000 animal loving people, mainly children with their parents or family members, throng the zoo on an average daily. The zoo is located near the picturesque Foy's Lake at Khulshi area.

The visitors are bored to see the same animals in the zoo for long. They always expect new comers or varieties along with rare and endangered species of animals and birds in the zoo.

Mohammed Yasin Khan said, "I visit the zoo along with my children very often whenever time permits us for recreation, but we are now frustrated watching the same animals again and again."

"My children are eager to see hippopotamus, rhinoceros, giraffe and other attractive or rare animals," Yasin added.

Bankers Syed Mahmud, Rashedul Amin, Chittagong University teacher Prof Helaluddin Nizami, ward commissioner MA Naser, Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) resident surgeon Dr Matiar Rahman Khan and government official Kamrul Ameen expressed the same sentiment.

A 30-member managing committee headed by the deputy commissioner (DC) looks after the zoo, where 19 staffs, including two officials, are working.

The zoo started its journey on four acres of land on February 28, 1989 with a pair of monkeys only. Now it has 270 animals and birds of 62 species. The animals are kept in 35 cages on six acres of land.

The animals and birds include tiger, lion, crocodile, python, heron, little egret, vulture, turtle, sambar deer, barking deer, spotted and para deer, monkeys, palm civet, leopard cat, stripped hyena and fishing cat.

People and different organisations have donated most of the animals to the zoo, zoo sources said.

Shadhu, who prefers to remain anonymous, topped the list of voluntary donors by giving highest number of animals to the zoo. He also donated a handsome amount of money to the zoo authorities for taking care of the animals.

Shadhu's gifts include different species of rare birds, monkeys, owl, camel cat, horse and deer. He also sends poultry feed for the animal, said the sources.

Zoo expenditures, including development, procurement of animals or their treatment, animal food and meat and staff salaries, are to meet from the gate money, the lone source of income of the zoo, said Veterinary Officer Dr MM Morshed Chowdhury.

"The animals in the zoo are sufficient compared with the space. Land constraint is the main barrier to expand the zoo and if we want to increase the number of animals it would be difficult for us to accommodate them in the existing cages," Morshed said.

"We have prepared a master plan to reconstruct the zoo," he said.

The number of visitors to the zoo has decreased after an amusement centre of Foy's Lake was established in front of the zoo, Morshed said.

He said, "When a middle class family plans to visit the zoo they are to consider their children's request to enter the nearby Foy's Lake. Its not easy for them to afford visits to both the zoo and amusement park and they often opt for the park and avoid the zoo."