Bhubaneswar: Tigress Zeenat, who was captured in a forest in West Bengal on Sunday, was reportedly being brought back to Similipal in Odisha on intervention of NTCA on Tuesday.
According to Forest department sources, a team of Forest officials of the neighbouring state would bring the tigress from Alipore Zoo in Kolkata in a special vehicle.
Zeenat is being transported after veterinary team stated that her health condition was satisfactory and processing of necessary documents was over. She is likely to reach Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) late Tuesday night, the sources said.
The Forest officials of West Bengal decided to shift the tigress reportedly after the intervention of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Earlier, the NTCA had questioned the West Bengal Forest department’s decision to keep Zeenat in a squeezed case in a zoo instead of transferring it back to STR in violation of the standard operating procedure (SOP). “Apprise this authority for the reason why the said tigress was shifted to Alipore Zoo, instead of translocating it back to the state of Odisha as per the SOP of the NTCA,” the letter said.
The Bengal Forest department was asked to immediately shift the tigress to Similipal to avoid any imprinting or human interaction in captivity.
Prakash Gogineni, field director, STR also said they had sent a letter to Bengal chief wildlife warden requesting authorisation for Zeenat’s transfer to Similipal.
The three-year-old tigress left STR in the early hours of December 8 and made her way to Jharkhand and from there to West Bengal, covering more than 200 km and giving both foresters and people living near forested areas sleepless nights.
After 21 days, the elusive tiger was finally darted and captured on December 29. It was then taken to Alipore Zoo for blood and stool sample collection. West Bengal also formed a medical team to monitor the big cat, which was relocated to Similipal from Maharashtra’s Tadoba in November to strengthen its gene pool.
Also Read: When Will Zeenat Return To Odisha’s Similipal? NTCA Questions Bengal For The Zoo Trip
