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Tigress Zeenat, travelling 20-25 km every night, enters Purulia: Forest official
The three-year-old was translocated from Maharashtra to Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in November
Kolkata: Tigress Zeenat, a three-year-old translocated from Maharashtra to Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in November, travelled through Jharkhand and entered West Bengal’s Purulia district on Sunday. She has been covering 20-25 kilometers every night, keeping forest officials on high alert.
“Every morning, around 6 am, we track her location and identify eight to nine villages that need to be alerted. If there are school-going children in these villages, we ask the villagers to inform the forest ranger so that the children can be escorted to school, especially during the early morning hours. The tiger doesn’t move much during midday and stays deep inside the forest,” said a senior forest official of the state.
Forest officials said that Zeenat, translocated to improve the reserve’s genetic diversity in Odisha, crossed into Jharkhand’s forests on December 12. She entered West Bengal on December 19 through Gidhni in Jhargram and was traced near Duarsini in Purulia, about 75–80 km away, on Sunday morning.
“The tigress has been avoiding humans, which is positive as it reduces the risk of approaching human habitats. We’ve tracked her pugmarks and heard her calls, but she remains elusive, with no sightings or cattle killings reported,” the senior forest official said.
Officials are closely monitoring Zeenat’s movements via her radio collar and a high-frequency radio transmitter, which provides frequent updates. Hand-held antennas are also being used to enhance tracking accuracy.
“This is helping us track the tigress accurately and send alerts to villagers. Villagers have been advised to avoid entering the forests, particularly during the tiger’s resting hours,” said officials.
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Efforts are underway to capture Zeenat. “We’re allowing the tiger to settle and avoiding actions that might drive her closer to villages. We’ve enlisted a special team from the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, which includes two personnel with extensive experience in darting tigers with tranquillisers. They also have nylon nets. Additionally, two locals familiar with the terrain are part of the team. Three officials from Odisha are also involved in the operation, which is tracking the tiger,” said the officer, adding that the entire operation involves more than 100 people.
The official added that the forests in Jhargram and Purulia offer favourable habitats, including abundant water, prey, and hiding spots, which officials hope will encourage the tigress to remain in the wild.
