Jan 01, 2025 12:12 PM IST
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) asked West Bengal’s chief wildlife warden to immediately relocate Zeenat, citing a violation of the standard operating procedure
Tigress Zeenat was released in Odisha’s Similpal Tiger Reserve on Wednesday days after it was tranquillised and captured in West Bengal. A 10-member Odisha Forest Department team travelled to Kolkata to oversee the safe transit of Zeenat.
Officials said the tigress will be monitored to assess its health and behaviour and further actions will be determined accordingly.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) asked West Bengal’s chief wildlife warden to immediately relocate Zeenat to Odisha, citing a violation of the standard operating procedure in its shifting.
Zeenat was released in Similipal Tiger Reserve’s core area on November 23 after it was brought from Maharashtra’s Tadoba. The tigress strayed into West Bengal via Jharkhand, complicating tracking efforts. After a 21-day chase, the tigress was tranquillised on Sunday and sent to the Alipore Zoo for observation. The tigress was handed over to the Odisha forest department for return to Similipal.
The NTCA has separately held back the permission to relocate two Royal Bengal Tigers from Madhya Pradesh to Debrigarh in Odisha until the completion of the probe into how tigresses Zeenat and Yamuna left the Similipal Tiger Reserve. The NTCA earlier granted technical clearance for the translocation.
Odisha’s principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Prem Kumar Jha said they would reassess the situation and then make a decision on whether to proceed with the relocation of tigers to Debrigarh.
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