Bhubaneswar, December 29: A long-awaited operation to capture the tigress Zeenat, who had strayed from Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve into West Bengal, was successfully tranquilises by the forest department officials in Bankura.
Zeenat, who is now safely housed in a cage, will be transported to Alipore Zoo in Kolkata for a comprehensive health check-up. Once her examination is complete, the tigress will be returned to Simlipal, said Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Prem Kumar Jha.
“The tigress is now safe. We are in the process of moving her to Alipore Zoo for a health assessment,” Jha said. “Once the necessary checks are completed, she will be brought back to Simlipal. We anticipate completing all formalities by this evening, and Zeenat is expected to be back in Simlipal by Monday morning.”
Following the tranquilization, the tigress will be kept under observation to monitor her health. If everything is in order, she will be released back into her natural habitat in Simlipal.
“The tranquilization was successfully carried out around 4 a.m. The injection was administered without incident, and the tigress fell unconscious shortly after,” Jha explained. “The operation went smoothly, and there were no significant complications.”
Zeenat’s journey began last month when she was brought to Simlipal from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra as part of a conservation effort to diversify the genetic pool of the local tiger population. However, the tigress wandered off from the reserve and covered more than 120 kilometers, crossing through forests at the tri-junction of Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand, in search of new territory.
Her movements caused growing concern in the nearby villages, as the tigress ventured close to human settlements in all three states. Local authorities and wildlife experts worked tirelessly to track her movements, and her tranquilization brought a sense of relief to both the villagers and wildlife officials, who were keen to ensure her safe return.
