Chattogram Zoo's tiger number jumps eightfold in 6 years
Authorities want the zoo to be the country’s first tiger breeding centre
After having its tiger cages empty for years, Chattogram Zoo has managed to get its tiger population to reach 16 from two in just six years through an effective breeding programme.
Six years ago, the zoo bought a pair of tigers from South Africa for Tk33 lakh. The tiger was named Raj and the tigress Pori.
After six years of successful breeding, the pair gave birth to 14 cubs, making the total number of tigers in the zoo 16 – which are now worth about Tk6 crore, said zoo officials.
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Although Raj and Pori have orange fur with black stripes, five of their 14 offspring are white with black stripes.
The authorities are now thinking of building the country's first complete tiger breeding centre in Chattogram Zoo with a controlled environment, riding on its success and experience of tiger breeding.
After breeding at the centre, they are also planning to release the tigers in the Sundarbans along with supplying them to other zoos and safari parks in the country through research.
"The breeding centre will be run under the zoo's own funding and supervision. To this end, the construction of new specialised cages has been completed," Chattogram Zoo Executive Committee's chairman Abul Bashar Mohammed Fakhruzzaman, who is also the deputy commissioner of Chattogram, said.
Due to the increase in the number of tigers in the zoo, an agreement has already been made to bring two hippopotamuses from Dhaka Zoo in exchange for two tigers under an animal exchange programme, Fakhruzzaman said.
He expressed hope that the tigers of Chattogram Zoo will be seen in other zoos and safari parks of the country in the future.
The zoo's Deputy Curator Dr Shahadat Hossain Suvo said breeding activities had to remain suspended until now because of a lack of enough space.
However, the newly constructed cages will be able to accommodate 10-12 more tigers which give them the opportunity to start tiger breeding again, Dr Shahadat said.
With an aim to release tigers born in Chattogram Zoo to the Sundarbans, genome sequencing works are underway at the zoo, he said.
"At the end of the research, a comparative genome study of the tigers of the Sundarbans and the zoo will be conducted. If no significant differences are found, the tigers will be released into the forest after adequate training to help them adapt to the wild environment," the deputy curator added.
Shahadat, who is also directly involved in the breeding and maintenance of 14 tigers, feels that if even a single tiger can be successfully released in the Sundarbans, it will open a new door in the history of wildlife conservation in the country.
Meanwhile, to make Chattogram Zoo more attractive and commercially successful, two male and four female llamas and kangaroos were brought to the zoo last October. Also, six macaws arrived at the beginning of this month.
Chattogram Zoo, which was established on 28 February 1989 in Foy's Lake area of the port city, now has expanded to 10 acres.
The zoo houses and exhibits 620 animals of 65 species, including white tiger, lion, bear, crocodile, various kinds of deer and monkeys, chimpanzee, owl, porcupine, jackal, civet, zebra, peacock, ostrich, emu, pheasant, parrot, falcon, vulture, turkey, pigeons of various species, pythons and snakes.
An average of 3,000 visitors flock to see the animals at the zoo every day. The zoo earns Tk50 crore per year from ticket sales.
