Chattogram Zoo roars: Breeds 19 tigers in 8 years
With an average of 3,000 visitors per day, the zoo earns Tk50 crore every year from ticket sales
Chattogram Zoo now houses 19 tigers, the highest among similar facilities in the country, making it an attractive place for animal lovers.
The zoo authorities say an enabling environment and care have helped increase tigers' breeding rates at the facility in the last eight years.
In contrast to Chattogram Zoo's 19, Dhaka National Zoo has 13, Gazipur Bangabandhu Sheikh Safari Park has eight, Dulahazra Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park has four, and Rangpur Zoo has only two.
"Although the number of tigers at the Chattogram zoo was supposed to be 21, it sent two tigers to the Rangpur zoo in exchange for two hippos from there," said Dr Shahadat Hossain Shubha, the zoo's deputy curator.
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Despite being established in 1989, there were no tigers at Chattogram Zoo until 2003 when a tiger couple, namely Chandra and Purnima, was brought from Dhaka National Zoo.
But Chandra died in 2006 and Purnima in 2012, without giving birth to any cubs due to advanced age.
But the import of another couple - Raj and Pori – from South Africa four years later turned out to be a boon for the zoo, as they gave birth to most of the cubs and became a major attraction for visitors.
On 19 July 2018, with enough care and a suitable environment at the facility, Raj and Pori gave birth to their first cubs. Among them, Shubhra was a rare white tiger.
Nearly one and half years later, another cub, a female named Corona, was born to them.
Raj was introduced to another tigress, Joya, the following year, and this couple gave birth to their first male cub on 24 December, but the mother abandoned the cub.
However, the zoo curators successfully raised and integrated the cub, named after US President Joe Biden, with other tigers.
In 2021, the zoo experienced a significant rise in the tiger population, with the birth of a total of six cubs.
Among them, three --- two male and one female --- were born to the Raj-Pori couple on 8 May.
Additionally, Raj and Shubhra couple gave birth to a female cub named Tuni on 26 August, while Raj and Joya gave birth to two female cubs named Bakul and Joba on 19 September.
The simultaneous breeding of four rare white tigers in 2022, including three male cubs and one female cub, was a milestone for the zoo authorities.
These rare white tigers - Padma, Meghna, Sangu, and Halda, born to the Raj-Pori couple - drew a huge number of visitors, according to the zoo authorities.
In 2023, space shortage in the existing cages disrupted the breeding process. To address this challenge, the zoo authorities initiated an exchange programme in addition to expanding their capacity.
So far this year, six cubs have been born, with one stillborn.
On them, three female cubs were born to the Joe Biden and Joya couple on 24 February, named Shamraggi, Tejoshwini and Bijoyini.
The Raj-Pori couple gave birth to three more female cubs on 9 April this year, but one of them was stillborn.
As the zoo's tiger population continues to grow, there are plans to exchange more with other zoos and safari parks in the country to enrich the zoo's collection, the zoo officials said.
Currently, the zoo, occupying 10 acres of land, houses some 620 animals of 65 species, including white tigers and lions.
With an average of 3,000 visitors per day, the zoo earns Tk50 crore every year from ticket sales, its officials have said.
