A male Beisa Oryx, two couples of Hamadryads Baboon, a couple of Dingo and two couples of Vervet Monkey arrived in Dhaka on Saturday night on a special flight of the Kuwait Airways.

A team of experts from Kuwait Zoo headed by Dr Medhat Alaily, director general and consultant of the Agricultural Affairs Ministry of Kuwait brought these animals and handed them over to Kazi Fazlul Haque, curator of Dhaka Zoo in a simple ceremony yesterday.

Dr Medhat Alaily told Star City that they brought these animals under an exchange programme. "We are taking a pair of Royal Bengal Tigers, a pair of Barking Deer and a

Hippo back to Kuwait Zoo," Alaily said.

Among the new members, Hamadryads Baboons and Vervet Monkeys were in the Dhaka zoo in the past. But for the first time ever the zoo would be displaying Oryx and Dingoes. Inclusion of these animals increased the number of the species to 151 at Dhaka Zoo.

Aminul Huq Khan, Animal Nutritionist of Kuwait Zoo hoped that the animals would breed in large numbers with proper nutrition and care.

About the habitat of the new members of the Dhaka Zoo, Aminul said that Hamadryads Baboons are ferocious and aggressive. The visitors should maintain a distance from these Baboons. Usually these Baboons are available in Madagascar and its neighbouring countries in Africa.

Vervet Monkeys are also available in that region but they are different in nature than the Baboons, Aminul said. He said that Vervet Monkeys, which are also called Green monkey, are friendly and they love to be fed by humans.

Beisa Oryx is herbivorous and available in Arabian Peninsulas. The zoo authority brought one male Oryx. They are now planning to add a female member. The Dingoes are Australian in origin. Dingoes can be called Australian dogs, Aminul said.

Kazi Fazlul Haque, the curator of Dhaka Zoo said that the zoo authority would keep the new animals in quarantine for the next 15 days to give them some time to adapt to the new environment. Within this period the authority will monitor their behaviour and physical status closely and after that period they will be put on display for the visitors.

Kazi Fazlul Haque hoped that the new animals would attract more visitors especially the children. During the hand over ceremony Fahim, a class three student of Monipur High School was present and said that the Green Monkeys attracted him most. "They were really funny and I will come here again to see them," he said.