The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has questioned the Bengal forest department’s decision to shift the three-year-old tigress Zeenat to the Alipore Zoo in Calcutta following its tranquilisation.
In a letter to the chief wildlife warden of Bengal, assistant inspector general of forests, (NTCA) Md. Sajid Sultan said, “It is also requested to appraise this authority for the reasons why the said tigress was shifted Alipore Zoo, instead of translocating it back to the state of Odisha as per the SOP of the NTCA.”
Zeenat, who moved out of the Similipal Tiger Reserve and ventured into Bengal, was tranquilised in the Bankura forest in Bengal on Sunday (December 29) and later shifted to Alipore Zoo. The move of the Bengal forest department has led to a lot of criticism from wildlife lovers as well as forest officials of Odisha. “After the tranquilisation, Zeenat should have been immediately brought to the Similipal Tiger Reserve. Our request has been ignored,” said a senior official of the Odisha government.
Following Odisha’s concern, the NTCA has also asked Bengal to initiate steps to translocate the tigress to Odisha.
In the letter, the NTCA said, “ The animal under question is to be released in the wild and in order to avoid any imprinting or human interaction in captivity, as requested by the Chief Wild Life Warden, Odisha, I am directed to reiterate under section 380 (2) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the said tigress may please be translocated back to Similipal Tiger Reserve at the earliest following the due process of SOP of NTCA.”
The NTCA has also reminded the Bengal chief wild life warden that Zeenat was brought to Similipal Tiger Reserve from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) under special initiatives to improve the genetic constitution of the tigers at Similipal Tiger Reserve.
Three-year-old Zeenat left the Similipal sanctuary, strayed into the Chakulia forest of neighbouring Jharkhand, and later moved to Bengal, defying all odds and traversing rough terrain.
Principal chief conservator of forest (wild life), Odisha, PK Jha told The Telegraph: “We are in touch with the Bengal officials. They will soon release Zeenat. She is fit and fine.”
Another tigress Jamuna was also brought from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) and it keeps moving within the Similipal landscape. While Zeenat was released into the wilds of Similipal on November 25 at Chahala in Similipal, Jamuna was released into the core area at Jenabil of the STR on November 9. But after a few days, both of them abandoned the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
Zeenat crossed Odisha border and moved into the neighbouring state on December 5. For 24 days Zeenat had put forest officials of Odisha, Jharkhand and Odisha on their toes and was finally captured on December 30 from Bankura in Bengal.
On the other hand, Jamuna continues to move from Similipal Tiger Reserve to Kuldiha Tiger Reserve in Balasore. But mostly it is confined to the Similipal landscape.
The officials are worried about Zeenat’s safety, given the failure of the first inter-state tiger project in Satkoshia. In 2018, under the inter-state tiger relocation programme, one male tiger and a tigress were relocated from Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district. The male tiger known as Kanha, above three years of age, was released in Satkosia reserve on July 6, 2018, and the female Sundari, three years old, was released on August 17, 2018.
However, the male tiger was found dead on October 14, 2018. The preliminary investigation indicated that the death of the male tiger happened due to poaching.
Sundari was brought to the enclosure on November 6, 2018 after the tigress had allegedly mauled two persons inside the sanctuary. She was later sent back to Madhya Pradesh in March 2021.
