A senior expert of Bangladesh's National Zoo in Dhaka's capital has wished a happy "Lunar New Year of the Tiger" to the Chinese people and sought Chinese cooperation in animal care and welfare in the new year.

"May the Year of the Tiger bring the Chinese people endless happiness, peace and prosperity," Md Abdul Latif, director of the Bangladesh National Zoo, told Xinhua recently.

 In Chinese culture, the tiger represents great strength, vitality and bravery.

"We all know that the exchange of knowledge plays a very important role. My humble request is to the Chinese government to share their research knowledge with us so that we can also benefit from it," he said, noting that China is doing research and trying to use the knowledge to make wild animals more human-friendly.

He also expressed a keenness to participate in exchange programs on animal conservation, such as the Royal Bengal Tiger.

According to the official, animals that are scarce in Bangladesh, especially at the Bangladesh National Zoo, can be brought here through exchange and cooperative breeding programs.

"I believe building a zoo will go one step further in this direction of education, research and conservation of wildlife," he said.

(Cover image: A Bengal tiger./ VCG)

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