odisha news: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Dec 21: Royal Bengal Tigress Zeenat, who recently ventured from Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) into Jharkhand, has now reportedly strayed into West Bengal.
After spending approximately 11 days in Jharkhand’s Chakulia Forest Range, the three-year-old tigress made her way into the Jhargram Forests in West Bengal on Friday. Following her sighting, local authorities issued a high alert in the area to monitor her movements.
Zeenat was translocated from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra to Similipal in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on November 14. Reports indicate that she left STR on December 10 and was spotted hunting a buffalo in the Rajabasa jungles near Chakulia on December 17. Upon entering West Bengal, a quick response team from the neighboring state began tracking her movements closely.
Earlier, STR field director PC Gogineni confirmed that Zeenat is being monitored by Odisha Forest Department officials using signals from her radio collar. Efforts are underway to guide her back to Similipal. It’s noteworthy that both Zeenat and another tigress, Jamuna, were translocated to enhance the tiger gene pool in Similipal, yet both have since moved away from the reserve.
