Although the number of big cats is declining alarmingly across the globe due to multifarious reasons, Chittagong Zoo now proudly possesses five members of a tiger family.
The latest addition to the tiger family is a tiger cub named “Corona”, born to the tiger couple Raj and Pori known for giving birth to two rare white tiger cubs [albino] at Chittagong Zoo in 2018.
The door of the menagerie has remained shut to the visitors since March 19 to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
More than four months have already gone by but the visitors have not been able to have a glimpse of the playful tiger cub.
Dr Shahadat Hossain Suvo, Chittagong Zoo's acting curator and the veterinary surgeon told Dhaka Tribune that the tiger cub is now doing well.
“As you know, a tiger cub is weaned from its mother by six months of age. The tiger cub weighing 28 kilograms has begun eating meat alongside drinking mother's milk,” said Dr Suvo, adding that the tiger cub was given the name “Corona” as it was born during coronavirus pandemic.
Chittagong Zoo authorities collected the tiger couple Raj and Pori from South Africa at a cost of Tk33 lakh on December 9, 2016.
On July 19 in 2018, three cubs— including two albino cubs—were born to the tiger couple.
However, an albino cub died the following day. The other albino cub was named Shuvra while the other was named Joya.
The number of the tiger family at Chittagong Zoo now stands at five in total.
Set up on February 28, 1989, the zoo is located in a six-acre of hilly terrain in the city’s Foy’s Lake area.
The zoo now hosts tiger, lion, capped langur, hoolock gibbon, rhesus macaque, peafowl, fishing cat, jungle cat, barking deer, peacock, pied hornbill, large civet, leopard cat, griffon vulture, marsh crocodile, stork, yellow turtle, Indian python and Bengal fox.