Lockdown takes air, sunlight away from Kataban animals | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Saturday
June 14, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2025
Lockdown takes air, sunlight away from Kataban animals

Bangladesh

Faijullah Wasif
17 April, 2021, 02:30 pm
Last modified: 17 April, 2021, 02:55 pm

Related News

  • 1.25 crore people to get fourth dose of Covid vaccine this year
  • Covid-19: Bangladesh records 4 more cases
  • Genome sequencing reports of Chinese nationals infected with Covid by Sunday: IEDCR
  • Govt issues 8-point guidelines for Eid-ul-Azha prayers
  • Covid deaths, cases again on the rise

Lockdown takes air, sunlight away from Kataban animals

Due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown, Katabon’s Fish and Animal Market is closed and millions of exotic animals in the market are spending their days without sufficient daylight and air circulation

Faijullah Wasif
17 April, 2021, 02:30 pm
Last modified: 17 April, 2021, 02:55 pm
Photo : PETA
Photo : PETA

When traders at the Fish and Animal Market in Katabon spotted a police van near the Kataban mosque around 2 pm on Thursday, they rushed to close the shutters of their stores. All the half-opened shops were closed in a trice.

Every trader's eyes were glued to the movement of the van and it was only after the van left that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown, Kataban's Fish and Animal Market is closed and exotic animals in the market are spending their days without sufficient daylight and air circulation. So, even though the traders do not have permission to open the shops, they feel bound to do so to keep the animals alive.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

Jubayer Mahmud at Red Sea Enterprise said, "We have live animals and birds in our shops and they require a certain amount of light, air and food every day. So we have to open the shops for a certain time of the day."

But Mahmud claims that opening the shops requires courage. As he put it, "We are genuinely afraid of the police. I kept the shutters of the shop open in the morning after feeding the animals but I am not sure if I will be able to open the shutters today again."

More than 50 shops in the market were seen closed during a visit to the area. As there is no official statement from the government regarding how the live animal shops should be during the lockdown, traders are worried about the future.

One of the shops in the market, S N Pet Shop, had its shutters closed. However, two exhaust fans were kept running for ventilation. Nayan, a salesperson at the shop, said that the exhaust fans had been installed considering the warm weather. But he is still worried about the life of the animals in the shop.  

Another shop, Bird Zoo, has about 200 pairs of birds. The salesperson at the shop, Pabitra Ranjan, said, "The birds need food and water along with air and light every day. We have a pair of macaws worth more than Tk5 lakh. If the birds die, our shipment will be gone. So, even with the risks involved, we have to open the shop for a certain period every day."

Last year during the lockdown, Fisheries and Livestock Minister S M Rezaul Karim issued verbal instructions to the traders of the Kataban Animal Market to keep their stores open for two hours daily in order to properly feed the animals.

This time, it is a different scene. If the traders open the shop even only to feed the animals, they face interrogation by law enforcement officials.

But the business holders at the market said that it is vital to keep the stores open even for a little while daily to keep the animals alive.

We have informed the Shahbagh police station as we have not yet received any specific instructions from the administration. We have also sent a letter to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock regarding the matter

Atikur Rahman Ripon, president of the Dhaka University Market Aqua and Pet Association

Speaking about the issue, Atikur Rahman Ripon, president of the Dhaka University Market Aqua and Pet Association, said, "We have informed the Shahbagh police station as we have not yet received any specific instructions from the administration. We have also sent a letter to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock regarding the matter."

Ripon said that due to the hot weather, the animals need more care and they also need enough light and air. He called on the government to allow the business holders in the market to open their shops for a limited time daily so that the animals can receive proper care and food.

Hasib Rahman, who had come to Kataban from the capital's Paltan area to buy fish food for his home aquarium, said that he had to wait for a while before he could make the purchase.

"They (the shopkeepers) are afraid to sell food due to the fear of being caught by the administration. But animals need food, so their lifesaving essential items should be exempted from the restrictions of the lockdown," Rahman added. 

Bhumi Shontan Bangladesh is an animal rights organisation in Bangladesh. Talking to The Business Standard, the organisation's President Ashraful Kabir urged that even if the traders are not allowed to conduct regular business, they at least need to be allowed to take care of the animals so that the animals do not starve or suffer. 

Top News

Kataban / Fish and Animal Market / Coronavirus Pandemic / Coronavirus in Bangladesh / Effect of Coronavirus

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Infographic: TBS
    Govt plans incentives for Bangladeshis bringing in foreign investment
  • Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Tel Aviv. REUTERS/Jamal Awad
    Iran launches waves of missiles at Israel in response to airstrikes
  • The bus responsible for the accident that left 5 dead and 15 injured in Dinajpur on 14 June 2025. Photo: UNB
    5 dead, 15 injured in Dinajpur road crash

MOST VIEWED

  • Energy adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan with other government officials during a visit to Sylhet gas field on 13 June 2025. Photo: TBS
    I would disconnect gas supply to every home in Dhaka if I could: Energy adviser
  • BNP Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman and Chief Adviser  Muhammad Yunus meet at Dorchester Hotel in London, UK on 13 June 2025. Photo: CA Press Wing
    National polls possible in 2nd week of February, agree Yunus, Tarique in 'historic' London meeting
  • Rescuers work at the scene of a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
    Tehran retaliates with 100 drones after Israel strikes Iran's nuclear facilities, kills military leaders
  • From fact-checker to fact-checked: CA Press Wing’s turn in the hot seat
    From fact-checker to fact-checked: CA Press Wing’s turn in the hot seat
  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus
    Disclosure of unconfirmed Yunus-Starmer meeting shows ‘diplomatic imprudence’: Analysts
  • Flight AI 379 had landed. File Photo: Hindustan Times
    Day after Ahmedabad crash, Air India flight makes emergency landing in Thailand after bomb threat

Related News

  • 1.25 crore people to get fourth dose of Covid vaccine this year
  • Covid-19: Bangladesh records 4 more cases
  • Genome sequencing reports of Chinese nationals infected with Covid by Sunday: IEDCR
  • Govt issues 8-point guidelines for Eid-ul-Azha prayers
  • Covid deaths, cases again on the rise

Features

Photos: Collected

Kurtis that make a great office wear

20h | Mode
Among pet birds in the country, lovebirds are the most common, and they are also the most numerous in the haat. Photo: Junayet Rashel

Where feathers meet fortune: How a small pigeon stall became Dhaka’s premiere bird market

2d | Panorama
Illustration: Duniya Jahan/ TBS

Forget Katy Perry, here’s Bangladesh’s Ruthba Yasmin shooting for the moon

3d | Features
File photo of Eid holidaymakers returning to the capital from their country homes/Rajib Dhar

Dhaka: The city we never want to return to, but always do

5d | Features

More Videos from TBS

CA Yunus returns home from London

CA Yunus returns home from London

24m | TBS Today
Israeli warplanes shot down; pilot detained by Iran

Israeli warplanes shot down; pilot detained by Iran

1h | TBS News Updates
Iran launches 100 missile attacks, US with Israeli support

Iran launches 100 missile attacks, US with Israeli support

1h | TBS World
No Cash in ATMs: System Glitch or Something Deeper?

No Cash in ATMs: System Glitch or Something Deeper?

14h | TBS Today
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net