The new attractions include giraffe, zebra, chimpanzee, impala, kudu, elan, lemur, horse, donkey and several species of monkeys. However, to avoid possible infestation of bird flu they will not bring in any birds. Among these animals impala, kudu, elan and lemur are new names for the visitors.

Impala is a reddish African antelope noted for its leaping ability and for having ridged, curved horns in the male.

Kudu is a large African antelope with a brownish coat with narrow, white vertical stripes and, in the male, long, spirally curved horns.

Elan belongs to the deer tribe and is found in Alaska, Canada, the United States and the northern part of Europe.

The lemur is a kind of primate with a long, pointy nose and has a strong sense of smell. It is commonly found in Madagascar and the neighbouring Comores Islands. Lemurs vary in colour from reddish brown to grey, and come in all different sizes too. The smallest lemur is called the pygmy mouse lemur, which weighs only one ounce.

Our source at the zoo told Star City that the tender for the purchase would be invited by the end of August. Officials are hoping that the new guests will begin to arrive at the Dhaka zoo by the end of December.

He added that for the last ten years there was no giraffe in the zoo. "We were planning to purchase more animals for the last few years but for budget constraints it was not possible", he said.

"Last year the ministry contributed some money to the zoo for new purchase, however, for some reason they took it back", he added. Fisheries and Livestock ministry finally allotted Tk 6 crore for the purchase this year.

The yearly budget of Dhaka zoo is Tk 3.75 crore, said the official, out of which Tk 2.50 crore is spent to feed the animals. A large segment of their income comes from leasing out the ticket booth. This year the ticket counter was leased out for Tk 2.7 crore.

To cope with the extra expense and maintain the new species, a 10 per cent increase will be added to the budget this fiscal year.

"Most of the species we are bringing are herbivorous. Maintaining carnivorous animals requires more money," said the official.

He also mentioned that the zoo currently has around 400 sheds. New sheds will not be built for the guests. Instead, some of the empty sheds will be repaired to accommodate them.

The zoo made its last purchase in the year 2002. Around Tk. 50 lakh was spent to purchase two cheetahs, two zebras, three greater flamingos and two golden pheasant.

Established in 1974, currently the zoo has about 165 species of animals in the facility, out of which 55 are mammals, 72 birds and 26 are fish.

The entire fleet consists of around 1823 animals, which attracts around 10, 000 visitors every day.