Bhubaneswar: After Royal Bengal Tigress duo of Zeenat and Jamuna recently strayed out of Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has reportedly held back the permission to transloctae two big cats from Madhya Pradesh to Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha.
According to sources, the NTCA has withheld the decision to shift two more RBTs till investigation into why Zeenat and Jamuna fled Similipal forests is complete.
Although, the NTCA had earlier approved technical clearance for the translocation of two more big cats from MP to Odisha, but is now said to be reassessing the situation.
It can be recalled that Jamuna and Zeenat were translocated from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to Similipal. But Zeenat first strayed into Jharkhand forests and then moved into West Bengal. The big cat was tranquillised and safely caught from West Bengal and shifted to Alipore Zoo in Bengal in a cage.
After Zeenat moved out of STR, Jamuna too strayed into Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Balasore district, raising questions over suitability of Similipal to host more tigers.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests ( Wildlife), Odisha, Prem Kumar Jha had then stated that his department would reassess the situation and then take a decision whether to proceed with the relocation of tigers from Madhya Pradesh to Odisha’s Debrigarh to ensure that the project, intended at reviving big cat population in the state doesn’t result in any kind of conflict in the region.
“Usually male tigers have their demarcated territories. However, tigresses too have their territories which sometimes overlap. Zeenat and Jamuna had started exploration of the territories after they were released into the Similipal forests. The two tigresses were in the process of establishing new territories, leading to their migration between forests. This territorial expansion is typical behaviour for tigers,” he was quoted as saying.
Following an in-principle approval NTCA, a team of wildlife officials from the state visited Bandhavgarh in October to hold preliminary talks in this regard and proceed with the project.
However, this is not the first time Odisha has faced setbacks in tiger relocation. In 2018, two tigers were introduced to Satkosia Tiger Reserve. Tragically, tigress ‘Sundari’, fell victim to poaching, while the other, male big cat after struggling with health issues, had to be sent back to its original habitat in Madhya Pradesh.
