Home
+
Published : 29 May 2026, 10:07 AM
It looks like a lion but carries a tiger's stripes. It is neither one nor the other -- it is a liger, born from the crossbreeding of a male lion and a female tiger. Bangladesh's only example of the species is growing up at Bonobilash Zoo in Khulna.
Zoo authorities say while tigers roam the Sundarbans in Bangladesh, lions are completely absent from the local wilderness.
Tigers and lions, however, have coexisted in the country's zoos for many years. Yet, as far as anyone knows, no initiative had ever been taken domestically to breed a liger through the crossbreeding of a lion and a tiger before this.
This massive feline, which shares a tiger's knack for swimming, was rescued as a cub by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) from a frontier area in 2018, thwarting an attempt to smuggle it out of the country.
It is unclear where it had been brought from and who trafficked it.
Immediately after the rescue, it was handed over to the zoo management in Gilatala of Khulna city.
The male liger, now estimated to be around eight to nine years old, is in excellent health and remains a stellar attraction for visitors eager to catch a glimpse of the rare hybrid.
The zoo, situated adjacent to the Khulna Cantonment in Gilatala, is run by the cantonment authorities.
Warrant Officer Md Azizul Haque, the official in charge of the zoo, told bdnews24.com that senior staff members confirmed the liger has been under their care for the last seven years since the BGB dropped it off as a cub.
According to him, the male liger chows down on 6kg of beef five days a week and chicken on one day, while fasting for the remaining day of the week.
A veterinarian conducts a thorough health check-up once a month to keep tabs on the animal, which continues to pull in large crowds, he added.
A recent visit to the Bonobilash Zoo showed that despite the presence of various other animals, the liger remains the star attraction for the public.
Enclosed within a heavy, double-layered iron cage, it was seen pacing around casually, occasionally sitting down to rest when the heat caught up with it, and letting out a few soft roars.
Samir Kumar De, a holidaymaker who travelled from Chattogram to Khulna, said: “I came to visit Khulna with my friends. We went to the Sundarbans and visited Khan Jahan Ali’s shrine. Then, hearing about such a unique creature in this zoo, we came to see it.
“I have never seen a liger before. It is an entirely fresh experience.”
Jahangirnagar University zoology professor MA Aziz, a tiger expert, analysed photos and videos of the animal before speaking with bdnews24.com.
He said there is no record of any other liger existing in the country.
Based on an examination of its canine teeth, he estimated the animal’s age to be around eight to nine years.
“A liger is born from the mating of a male lion and a female tiger,” Prof Aziz said. “The Bonobilash liger is a male, and its features suggest that the male genes are dominating.
“For instance, it has a mane, which is a classic lion trait. Its upper body and stride also mimic a lion, though it lacks the sheer agility of a tiger.”
Since it was carried by a female tiger, the expert said it naturally retains certain maternal traits.
“Its nose, face, and eyes resemble a tiger, and it carries tiger stripes across its body, even though these markings are quite faint. It essentially embodies the genetic blueprint of both species.”
He pointed out that such animals are typically bred in captivity by exotic pet keepers using specialised animal breeders, as a natural birth is virtually impossible.
“There is no natural habitat left in the world where tigers and lions coexist. Most lions live in Africa, and while India's Gujarat houses a forest population, there are no tigers there. Given their vast specific differences, the chances of them mating in the wild are practically zero.”
The male liger lives without a mate at the zoo, but the authorities said that such hybrid creatures are almost always sterile and incapable of siring offspring.
An information board put up by the zoo administration lists several facts about the hybrid feline.
It says the liger is the longest among the cat species, with males stretching between 3 and 3.6 metres and weighing anywhere between 300kg and 450kg at full maturity.
Scientists have found that male lions possess a unique growth-promoting gene that tigers lack, causing ligers to grow continuously.
The board also notes that ligers are far more playful and social than ordinary lions or lionesses, showing a fondness for human presence and interaction.
While a tiger's average lifespan ranges from 12 to 13 years and a lion's from 14 to 15 years, captivity can alter these numbers significantly.
Prof Aziz said captive tigers have been recorded to live up to 27 years, suggesting a liger's lifespan might fall close to those of its parent species.
He, however, added that pinning down exactly how long this specific liger might survive in captivity remains a difficult call.
[Khulna Correspondent Shuvro Sachin contributed to this report]
