Tiger cub Biden at Ctg Zoo to appear before public today
Forty animals were born at the Chattogram Zoo during the Covid-19 pandemic
Two tiger cubs at the Chattogram Zoo died after birth due to their mother's negligence during the pandemic. The third cub, named Joe Biden, survived after the zoo staff rescued it in critical condition. After that, the cub became known through the media as well as the internet.
Tiger cub Joe Biden is set to make his first public appearance on Thursday (19 August), when the tourist center will open as per the government instructions. From that day onwards, people will be able to see him at the zoo.
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The authorities closed the Chattogram Zoo for about five months from 20 March last year to prevent the spread of Covid-19. After that, they kept the zoo open for seven months in a row, but then they closed it again from 1 April this year due to the increase in novel coronavirus infections.
According to the zoo sources, on 14 November, 2020, a tigress named Jaya gave birth to three cubs. One of the calves died on 15 November and another on 18 November due to the lack of their mother's milk after birth.
Realising that the tigress was not going near the baby, the zoo authorities removed the third cub and started nurturing it. Joe Biden, the third cub, then grew up in the office room of the quarantine center and a room in the zoo under the care of Deputy Curator Dr Shahadat Hossain and two other staff members.
Five and a half months after its birth, the cub was placed in a cage on 21 April this year. He walked for an hour in the afternoon outside the cage every day, but the cage has been his permanent abode since 14 May. Growing up in a somewhat different environment while playing with people, this tiger will be placed in a cage with another tiger when it will be one year old.
Shahadat Hossain, deputy curator of Chattogram Zoo, said, "The tiger will be brought before the public for the first time on Thursday. Earlier, the zoo was closed for a long time due to Covid-19 and the visitors could not see the tiger."
Joe Biden, who won the 2020 US presidential election, has brought the United States back to the Paris Climate Accords. In his honor, the Chattogram Zoo authorities named the tiger cub Joe Biden, said Shahadat.
Biden is currently the main attraction of the zoo as the news of his birth and survival has spread through the internet. People are waiting for the zoo to open.
Visiting the zoo last Monday (18 August), our correspondent saw that preparations were underway to open it.
Shahjahan, a construction worker who came from Gopalganj to Chattogram in search of work, said, "I saw a video of a tiger at the zoo on Facebook. I came to see it, thinking that the zoo was open."
In December 2016, a pair of Bengal Tigers was brought from South Africa to the zoo at a cost of Tk33 lakh. At present, the zoo has a total of nine tigers – three males and six females.
The Chattogram Zoo has 620 animals of 66 species. A total of 40 animals were born at the zoo during the Covid-19 pandemic.
