A committee formed to investigate the death of animals at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur has failed to submit its report within the stipulated time and has applied for a time extension at the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The body has sought 10 more days to prepare the report.
In the meantime, at least four possible reasons behind the death of the animals have surfaced in various media reports.
The former project director at the park, Jahidul Kabir, on January 25 told the media that four of the zebras died while fighting among themselves and five died of bacterial infections.
The second possible reason surfaced when the ruling party lawmaker from Gazipur 3, Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, claimed that the zebras died due to negligence by park staffers and internal strife.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim on Saturday claimed that the zebras, tigers and lions at the park died due to bacterial infection. On Tuesday, lab tests found traces of lead in the grass that the zebras graze on.
Ministry sources, on the other hand, suspect that land grabbers might have had a hand in the deaths of the animal as the park is not properly fenced. They said that the value of land in Gazipur has gone high in recent times and the park is spread across 3,810 acres of land in the district.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Shahab Uddin on Sunday said that actions will be taken against those involved in negligence of duty over the deaths of animals at the safari park.