Bhubaneswar: It has been over two months since tigress Yamuna was released into the wild of Similipal Tiger Reserve and wildlife experts feel it is taking time to acclimatise to the new habitat before it finds a mate.
Wildlife officials are monitoring Yamuna through radio collar signal. They said Yamuna is trying to explore various landscapes of the Similipal biosphere to establish its base.
“It is not that Yamuna will look for a mate.It is the other way around. A male will look for Yamuna once it acclimatises to the habitat and finds a suitable home range where it feels it is its territory and there is no possibility of intrusion. Establishing a range depends on factors such as prey, water, canopy, and a partner,” said K Ramesh, senior scientist and professor at the Wildlife Institute of India.
He said Yamuna is nearing three years, the time to become a full adult. “Three and three-plus age is ripe to understand mating and establish compatibility. Hopefully, within another month or two, the tigress will get a mate,” Ramesh added.
Experts said Yamuna has experienced the winter in the new habitat and might wait to experience summer as well. “Yamuna is exploring the home range to feel safe from every angle,” said Ramesh.
Regarding Zeenat, experts said considering its age of three, it won’t be wise to keep it for more time in a soft enclosure. “Once we are convinced that its hunting skill is quite agile and normal, we may release it, but the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will take the final call,” said Similipal field director Prakash Gogineni.