Both Zeenat and Jamuna, tigresses translocated from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha in November, lasted for mere weeks in their new home.
While Zeenat left Similipal earlier this month, walked to Jharkhand and reached Bengal on Friday, Jamuna left for the nearby Kuldiha forests in Balasore about a week ago.
Jamuna had arrived at Similipal on October 27, Zeenat on November 15.
As both tigresses bid hasty adieus to Similipal, Odisha's wildlife enthusiasts and foresters have been wondering why, especially as the reserve forest has ample food. Was it the search for a new territory or infighting between the new duo and the existing tigers in Similipal that forced three-year-old Zeenat and two-and-a-half-year-old Jamuna to move out?
Forest officials maintained that both tigresses were marking their territories. However, wildlife activists argued that infighting between the tiger population in Similipal could have forced the two new guests to move out of Similipal.
Wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty told The Telegraph: “There is enough food base for tigers in Similipal, as the core areas of the Similipal are over 800sqkm. It’s enough to absorb two new tigresses, as before them the reserve forest had only 27 tigers. I wonder why these two tigresses moved out of Similipal.”
Whenever a new tiger reaches the core area of a new forest, it depends on others residing there to accommodate it or force it to move out, Mohanty added. "Sometimes, it leads to infighting," he added.
In Similipal, 13 of the 27 tigers are pseudo-melanistic adults. "They may not have accepted the arrival of the new entrants who are normal and young. Infighting could have forced the new guests to move out of Similipal. They might have left to mark their territories. But I am more concerned about their safety now.”
Former honorary wildlife warden Bhanu Mitra Acharya stressed the forests of Similipal and Tadoba were totally different.
“One needs to understand that the Similipal biosphere is totally different from Maharashtra. "Similipal is full of hills, unlike Tadoba. The two tigress are young and perhaps unable to climb hills," he said.
He added he was worried about Zeenat's safety as she could be attacked by humans.