India News | Efforts on to Capture Tigress That Strayed into West Bengal from Odisha

Kolkata, Dec 24 (PTI) Efforts continued on Tuesday to capture tigress Zeenat which strayed into West Bengal's Purulia district from the adjoining Similipal Reserve Forest in Odisha, an official said.

The full-grown tiger was located in the forests on the Raika Hill in Bandwan block during the day, he said.

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The half-eaten carcass of a goat found in a nearby spot triggered panic among the villagers as the tiger continued to evade forest personnel.

"We have asked villagers not to allow their cattle to stray into the forest. There is no cause for panic. We have sent the carcass of the goat for autopsy," the official said.

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Two teams of the Forest Department, including one from Sundarban Tiger Reserve, are constantly monitoring her movement through signals from her radio collar, he said.

"Teams from the Odisha Forest Department are also monitoring the movement of Zeenat," the official said.

The hilly terrains with thorny bushes have made it convenient for Zeenat to escape with disruptions in the continuous transmission of signals from her radio collar, he said.

Zeenat had crossed over to West Bengal from Jharkhand five days ago, and after roaming in Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur districts, she reached Purulia. She has shown no signs of heading back to her original habitat in Similipal.

The tigress has covered over 100 km, roaming the forests at the tri-junction of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, in search of new territory after leaving Similipal.

"We are trying to drive her back to Similipal through the same route, or capture her and release her there," the official said.

Zeenat and another tigress, two-and-a-half-year-old Jamuna, were brought to Similipal from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra with the goal of introducing a new gene pool to the tiger population.

While Jamuna had been brought from Maharashtra on October 27, Zeenat arrived on November 15 and was released into the wild on November 24.

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