The market is a popular place for pet lovers as a variety of domestic animals sell at reasonable prices. Various species of birds, pedigrees of dogs and cats, guinea pigs and varieties of fish are available on request.

Shop owners and salespersons are found helpful in taking orders from customers and providing them with what they want. Meantime, they breathe if the customers want to buy 'prohibited' animals.

A pair of black-headed, red, green or spotted munias sell at around Tk 150. Hilly mynahs sell at up to Tk 3, 000, while the prices of Alexandrian, blossom headed and rose-ring parakeets range from Tk 150 to Tk 700 a pair.

Locally bred white rabbits are sold between Tk 150-500 a pair, while the brown or black pairs are sold at Tk 250. "Foreign-bred rabbits are lower in price, as they are outlived by the locally bred ones," said Salman Mahmood, an animal lover in the city. A monkey is priced at Tk 1,500.

Most animals come from the city and nearby districts. Some animal lovers in Old Dhaka breed rare cage birds and sell them off to the shops at Katabon. The shops also import animals from other countries, some shop assistants said.

Where do the wild animals come from? The shop owners have 'parties' to provide them with animals.

The shops can even provide customers with tiger cubs, if the lead-time is given. "Just place the order and the job will be done for you," one of the traders boasted of his links to the network of hunters.

According to the Directorate of Livestock, only cage birds and animals can be sold. Selling any animal captured from its natural habitat is prohibited. Creating a mini zoo at a personal level is subject to permission from the livestock ministry.