Tigress which strayed from Similipal Reserve spotted in West Bengal's Purulia

Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: Forest personnel are monitoring the movement of a tigress which strayed from Odisha's Similipal Reserve Forest and is currently in West Bengal's Purulia district, an official said on Sunday.

The three-year-old tigress brought from Maharashtra to Similipal Reserve Forest is fitted with a radio collar and is currently located in the Bandwan area of Purulia district, West Bengal's Chief Wildlife Warden Debal Roy told PTI.

It earlier crossed over to West Bengal from neighbouring Jharkhand and roamed around in Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur district, all parts of the forested 'Jangalmahal' belt.

Asked about reports that another tigress from Similipal which had escaped around the same time and roamed around the forested corridor of three neighbouring states has already headed back to her old habitat, Roy said "We don't have information about two tigresses escaping from Simlipal and having strayed into West Bengal." "Whether you call her Zeenat or Jamuna, we have information about one tigress leaving Similipal, entering Jharkhand and now having crossed over to our state for the past three days. Our men are keeping a constant vigil on her movement," he said.

He said forest personnel from Odisha are also working with their Bengal counterparts in monitoring the movement of the big cat which has so far not shown any signs of aggression.

The tigress had covered not less than 50 km after straying from Similipal in Odisha but such behaviour is normal for tigers who wander several kilometres in search of a new territory, another forest official said.

"Probably the forest belt of neighbouring states, having similar habitat, became a corridor for her and she is trying to set up a new territory. We are at work to drive her away to Similipal through the same route or if she is captured, release her back into the reserve forest in Odisha. We are hopeful there is no man-animal conflict," the senior state forest official said.

"The prey base is low in the areas where it is presently located. So, we hope she turns back to the reserve since there is more prey there," he said.

Meanwhile, the authorities of the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) on Sunday said that it was not averse to putting the tigress under sedation in order to bring her back to the core area of the National Park.

STR field director Prakash Chand Gogineni said "Tigress (Zeenat) is moving in West Bengal. The Odisha and West Bengal forest departments are tracking and moving with it. It is fit and fine. Efforts are being made to bring it back by tranquilisation," Gogineni said.

Claiming that tigress Zeenat, which walked into Jharkhand on the northern side of the Similipal, later moved into West Bengal forests on Friday. He said forest department personnel of both the states are tracking Zeenat through signals from her radio collar and efforts are underway to guide her back into Similipal.

However, if the animal does not return to her habitation in the core area of the Similipal, the authorities may apply tranquilization as an alternative mode to bring her back, he said, adding that the three-year-old tigress Zeenat and two-and-half-year-old Jamuna were brought from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra with the goal of introducing a new gene pool to the tiger population.

Jamuna was brought from Maharashtra on October 27, while Zeenat arrived on November 15 and was released into the wild on November 24. While Jamuna was roaming the Similipal landscape in good health, Zeenat walked into Jharkhand and later to West Bengal forest which was connected through forests.

Odisha Forest officials said that Zeenat was also in good health.