Similipal: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Nov 15: A day after arriving in Odisha from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra, the second tigress, named ‘Zeenat,’ was released into a soft enclosure inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district on Friday.
Zeenat, approximately three years old, endured a 40-hour journey in a special vehicle with a 10-member team from STR after being captured on Wednesday evening. She was kept under observation for 12 hours before being released into a soft enclosure in the northern part of Similipal, according to forest officials.
This marks the second phase of Odisha’s ambitious tiger relocation project for the Similipal landscape. The first tigress, ‘Jamuna,’ arrived from Maharashtra on October 27, was conditioned in an enclosure in southern Similipal, and later released into the core area of STR’s south division.
Zeenat will eventually be released in the core area of STR’s north division. Both tigresses have been fitted with radio collars as part of the big cat supplementation program, which aims to introduce a fresh gene pool into Similipal’s tiger population.
