The authorities of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) released 'Zeenat' – the Royal Bengal Tigress - brought from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra, into the wild from its soft enclosure here, an official said on Monday.
'Zeenat' is the second tigress after 'Jamuna', brought from TATR to be released in the core area of Similipal Tiger Reserve.
"Tiger Zeenat was released into the core area in North division on Sunday night. The tigress, after opening of the gates in the evening, had moved out at 9.30 pm," STR field director Prakash Chand Gogineni, said.
Stating that the tigress is being constantly monitored by three teams of Similipal North division, the official said that Zeenat took rest in the forest after being released from the soft enclosure on Sunday night.
Earlier, the STR authority had released another tigress 'Jamuna' in the core area. "Currently both tigress Jamuna and Zeenat are moving freely in Similipal," the official said.
Odisha's PCCF (Wild Life) Susant Nanda in a post on X said: "Tigress Zeenat was released from its soft enclosure today. The new addition to the Simlipal family brought as an interstate translocation programme from TATR of Maharashtra, it would infuse much needed genetic diversity of Simlipal Tiger Reserve." The officials said that STR for the first time have a tiger supplementation anywhere in the world to enhance the gene pool of tigers.
After being brought to Similipal on November 15, tigress Zeenat was kept in a soft enclosure inside the STR.
Zeenat is the second tigress after Jamuna brought to Odisha under the translocation programme to increase the population of tigers in the state. The two tigresses have been radio-collared before being released in the wild, officials said.
STR houses 27 tigers and 13 among them are pseudo-melanistic due to genetic disorder caused by inbreeding which could, in the long run, adversely impact the population of the normal yellow-coated royal Bengal tigers.
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