300 km, 21 days, 3 states — Zeenat’s journey interrupted with a tranquiliser gun, officials hope tigress stays in Odisha this time

“We will keep the tigress in a soft enclosure within the Similipal core area and keep it there for a longer period to ensure that it can better adapt to the region. We will track the movement of the tigress in the enclosure through the radio collar attached to its neck,” Jha told The Indian Express.

The tigress, translocated to Similipal from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra on November 14 to improve the gene pool of big cats in the Odisha reserve, was released to the core area of the reserve 10 days later. On the intervening night of December 7 and 8, it was found that the tigress ventured into the jungles of Jharkhand and then to West Bengal.

Jha said that after the tigress is brought back to the 2,750-km reserve at Similipal, officials are considering releasing it in the southern part of the reserve, as opposed to the northern part where it was released the first time.

Another tigress, Jamuna, which was also brought from the Tadoba-Andhari reserve, was released earlier in the southern part of Similipal reserve.

After wandering out of Similipal, Zeenat had covered 300 kilometres, spanning the three states – Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal – in a period of 21 days.

On Sunday, it was shot at with a tranquiliser gun and caged near Gosaindihi village of Bankura district in West Bengal. Bengal forest officials stated that the animal will be transported to Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, where vets will check her health and vital parameters. Later, the tigress will be transported back to Similipal.

Zeenat was initially translocated to Similipal as part of the Odisha government’s efforts to improve the gene pool of tigers in the state, improve their sex ratio, and check inbreeding among tigers in Similipal – the country’s only wild habitat for melanistic royal Bengal tigers.

The All Odisha Tiger Estimation 2023-24 found that Similipal has around 27 tigers, including 13 melanistic tigers.