Baripada: Zeenat, a tigress relocated from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve and re-released into the wild in Odisha’s Similpal Tiger Reserve (STR) this April, is expected to give birth within the next two months.
Authorities, who kept her release confidential to protect her from poachers, said that the Tadoba tigress mated with T-12, a dominant male in the core of Similipal South Division, during mid-May and is now showing signs of pregnancy. With a 105-day gestation period, she is expected to give birth towards the end of August or early in September.
This is being considered as a positive development as it indicates that the tigress has started marking her territory in the Similipal landscape.
Zeenat was brought to Odisha to boost the genetic diversity of the existing tiger population and released in Similipal’s Chahala core area in November later. However, the tigress made an exit from STR north on December 7, 2024, wandering through Bangiriposhi Ghat, the Badampahar-Dhobadhobin elephant corridor, Chaibasa in Jharkhand, and West Bengal’s Rajabas. It was captured after a 21-day chase.
She was again released into the wild towards April 16-17 after being kept in an enclosure for nearly four months. Her movement has since been regularly monitored through the radio collar. Forest officials are now optimistic that Zeenat’s offspring will bolster Similipal’s tiger population with new genetic traits.