In the times of pandemic, Bangladesh zoo christens Tiger cub ‘Corona’

A female tiger cub, given birth by the Royal Bengal tigers Raj and Pori at the Chattogram Zoo, has been named ‘Corona’ in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic that has so far claimed 3,035 lives in Bangladesh.

Visitors are yet to meet the 7-month-old cub as the authorities shut down the zoo in March in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

‘Corona’ is now spending time playing with her mother Pori at the zoo.

Seven-month-old female tiger cub christened Corona is playing with her mother 'Pori' at the Chattogram Zoo.

Two-year-old Shubhra, the first-ever white tiger of Bangladesh, has been living in the cage next to the one of ‘Corona’. She is also a big crowd-puller at the Chattogram Zoo.

Raj and Pori gave birth to the two cubs on Dec 30. One of them died just a day later.

The other that survived was put in an incubator and then kept in a covered cage with intensive care facilities for three months.

Seven-month-old Corona, a female tiger cub, is playing with her mother 'Pori' at the Chattogram Zoo.

Meanwhile, the Chattogram district administration issued an order to close the zoo on Mar 19 after the first coronavirus cases were detected in Bangladesh on Mar 8.

“The coronavirus outbreak began in China immediately after the birth of the cub. That’s why the name ‘Corona’ struck a note with us. Later the disease spread all over the world and we named the cub after this pandemic,” Dr Shahadat Hossain Suvo, the zoo's curator and veterinary surgeon, told bdnews24.com.

Seven-month-old Corona, a female tiger cub, is playing with her mother at the Chattogram Zoo.

“The tiger cub was born before the pandemic arrived in Bangladesh. But we didn’t have time to officially name her. As long as the tiger lives, people will know that Chattogram Zoo has a tiger named ‘Corona’,” Md Ruhul Amin, the secretary of the executive committee of the zoo, told bdnews24.com.

Corona weighs 28 kg and has recently started having meat on her daily menu. She also drinks milk.

Bangladesh's first-ever white tiger Shubhra at the Chattogram Zoo.

“The amount of her meat intake will increase gradually. Then, we will stop feeding her milk. She will live with her mother Pori in the cage for a year. Then ‘Corona’ will get a separate cage,” Dr Hossain said.