BHUBANESWAR/BARIPADA : Zeenat, the tigress translocated from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), has exited her habitat and moved into neighboring Jharkhand.
STR officials confirmed the development on Monday, stating that the three-year-old tigress was now roaming the forests of Jharkhand. Zeenat had been released into the wild in the Similipal North region on November 24, following an extensive acclimatization exercise.
Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF), Baripada, and Field Director of STR, Prakash Chand Gogineni, told TNIE that the forest team tracking the movement of the radio-collared tigress traced her location in the forests of Jharkhand.
Gogineni explained that Similipal is well-connected to Jharkhand’s forests, and the source tiger population of STR has been known to use the landscape in the past. After locating the tigress in Jharkhand, STR officials informed their counterparts in the neighboring state. A team of officials from the Jamshedpur forest division is now monitoring the tigress’s movements in their jurisdiction.
Though Similipal has a healthy prey base and adequate inviolate space, forest authorities stated that the dispersing female tiger may take some time to establish her territory in the protected area. “We are continuously monitoring her movement and are hopeful of her return, given the abundant prey base in Similipal,” said the field director.
As long as Zeenat remains safely in the forests and does not venture toward human habitations, there is no need for recapture. Tigers are long-range animals and may disperse several hundred kilometers before establishing their territories.
Zeenat is the second tigress brought from Tadoba under the tiger supplementation program aimed at improving the genetic diversity of the existing population in STR. She reached Jashipur on November 14 and was kept in a soft enclosure near Chahala for about 10 days before being released into the core of Similipal North on November 24.
The first tigress, 31-month-old Jamuna, was brought to STR from Tadoba on October 28 and released into the core area of Similipal South on November 9. “Jamuna has been circulating in the STR area for about a month and is in good health,” Gogineni said.
According to the All Odisha Tiger Estimation (AOTE) 2023-24 report, Similipal is home to around 27 tigers and 12 cubs.
