Zeenat in Bengal: Loss of radio signal makes tracking difficult | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Tigress Zeenat, which left Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve around two weeks ago and is now in West Bengal, continues to evade forest personnel of three states and creating hurdles in their plan of possible tranquillisation.
Forest personnel tracking the tigress through the radio collar on its neck found it was moving around Belpahari range in Bengal. However, due to the topography, the personnel are getting intermittent radio signals, creating sporadic suspense about the tigress’s movements. On Thursday night, it moved further away from Jharkhand’s Chakulia range into Bengal territory.
A cause for worry is that Zeenat’s current location is close to an earlier conflict zone, Lalgarh, where a Royal Bengal Tiger came face-to-face with humans while it was hunting a wild boar in June 2018. Local poachers killed the big cat using a spear that pierced through its head. Lalgarh is just an hour’s journey from Belpahari, sources said.
Wildlife personnel from Odisha said they are putting in frantic efforts tracking the big cat so that they can either create a soft barrier to facilitate its return or get a clear view to tranquillise it. “It is a big challenge when you don’t receive radio signals. Field personnel remain in the dark about its movement. Secondly, rain has also added to difficulties in monitoring,” said an Odisha wildlife officer on the condition of anonymity.
Zeenat, who was translocated from the Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to Similipal on Nov 24, left STR on the night of Dec 8. Between Nov 24 and Dec 8, Zeenat explored the northern part of Similipal, which has robust prey base and a mix of core and buffer zones, unlike the south division, which is a core area, where tigress Yamuna was released.
According to wildlife officials, for 14 days, Zeenat stayed put in Similipal before embarking on a Jharkhand sojourn. Similipal, spread over 2750 sq km, has seven each of normal and melanistic tigresses. “Although it can’t be said with certainty, the tigress has tried to understand her new territory for two weeks. A tigress can have issues with other females because they perceive them as competitors. But tigers travelling far off in search of fresh territory is not new,” said Anup Nayak, former member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Wildlife officials said Zeenat, if she disperses further, may enter into the Bankura (South) division, for which forest officials of both states have drawn up plans to tackle the situation, sources said.
Bhubaneswar: Tigress Zeenat, which left Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve around two weeks ago and is now in West Bengal, continues to evade forest personnel of three states and creating hurdles in their plan of possible tranquillisation.
Forest personnel tracking the tigress through the radio collar on its neck found it was moving around Belpahari range in Bengal. However, due to the topography, the personnel are getting intermittent radio signals, creating sporadic suspense about the tigress’s movements. On Thursday night, it moved further away from Jharkhand’s Chakulia range into Bengal territory.
A cause for worry is that Zeenat’s current location is close to an earlier conflict zone, Lalgarh, where a Royal Bengal Tiger came face-to-face with humans while it was hunting a wild boar in June 2018. Local poachers killed the big cat using a spear that pierced through its head. Lalgarh is just an hour’s journey from Belpahari, sources said.
Wildlife personnel from Odisha said they are putting in frantic efforts tracking the big cat so that they can either create a soft barrier to facilitate its return or get a clear view to tranquillise it. “It is a big challenge when you don’t receive radio signals. Field personnel remain in the dark about its movement. Secondly, rain has also added to difficulties in monitoring,” said an Odisha wildlife officer on the condition of anonymity.
Zeenat, who was translocated from the Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to Similipal on Nov 24, on the night of Dec 8. Between Nov 24 and Dec 8, Zeenat explored the northern part of Similipal, which has robust prey base and a mix of core and buffer zones, unlike the south division, which is a core area, where tigress Yamuna was released.
According to wildlife officials, for 14 days, Zeenat stayed put in Similipal before embarking on a Jharkhand sojourn. Similipal, spread over 2750 sq km, has seven each of normal and melanistic tigresses. “Although it can’t be said with certainty, the tigress has tried to understand her new territory for two weeks. A tigress can have issues with other females because they perceive them as competitors. But tigers travelling far off in search of fresh territory is not new,” said Anup Nayak, former member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Wildlife officials said Zeenat, if she disperses further, may enter into the Bankura (South) division, for which forest officials of both states have drawn up plans to tackle the situation, sources said.
Forest personnel tracking the tigress through the radio collar on its neck found it was moving around Belpahari range in Bengal. However, due to the topography, the personnel are getting intermittent radio signals, creating sporadic suspense about the tigress’s movements. On Thursday night, it moved further away from Jharkhand’s Chakulia range into Bengal territory.
A cause for worry is that Zeenat’s current location is close to an earlier conflict zone, Lalgarh, where a Royal Bengal Tiger came face-to-face with humans while it was hunting a wild boar in June 2018. Local poachers killed the big cat using a spear that pierced through its head. Lalgarh is just an hour’s journey from Belpahari, sources said.
Wildlife personnel from Odisha said they are putting in frantic efforts tracking the big cat so that they can either create a soft barrier to facilitate its return or get a clear view to tranquillise it. “It is a big challenge when you don’t receive radio signals. Field personnel remain in the dark about its movement. Secondly, rain has also added to difficulties in monitoring,” said an Odisha wildlife officer on the condition of anonymity.
Zeenat, who was translocated from the Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to Similipal on Nov 24, left STR on the night of Dec 8. Between Nov 24 and Dec 8, Zeenat explored the northern part of Similipal, which has robust prey base and a mix of core and buffer zones, unlike the south division, which is a core area, where tigress Yamuna was released.
According to wildlife officials, for 14 days, Zeenat stayed put in Similipal before embarking on a Jharkhand sojourn. Similipal, spread over 2750 sq km, has seven each of normal and melanistic tigresses. “Although it can’t be said with certainty, the tigress has tried to understand her new territory for two weeks. A tigress can have issues with other females because they perceive them as competitors. But tigers travelling far off in search of fresh territory is not new,” said Anup Nayak, former member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Wildlife officials said Zeenat, if she disperses further, may enter into the Bankura (South) division, for which forest officials of both states have drawn up plans to tackle the situation, sources said.
Bhubaneswar: Tigress Zeenat, which left Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve around two weeks ago and is now in West Bengal, continues to evade forest personnel of three states and creating hurdles in their plan of possible tranquillisation.
Forest personnel tracking the tigress through the radio collar on its neck found it was moving around Belpahari range in Bengal. However, due to the topography, the personnel are getting intermittent radio signals, creating sporadic suspense about the tigress’s movements. On Thursday night, it moved further away from Jharkhand’s Chakulia range into Bengal territory.
A cause for worry is that Zeenat’s current location is close to an earlier conflict zone, Lalgarh, where a Royal Bengal Tiger came face-to-face with humans while it was hunting a wild boar in June 2018. Local poachers killed the big cat using a spear that pierced through its head. Lalgarh is just an hour’s journey from Belpahari, sources said.
Wildlife personnel from Odisha said they are putting in frantic efforts tracking the big cat so that they can either create a soft barrier to facilitate its return or get a clear view to tranquillise it. “It is a big challenge when you don’t receive radio signals. Field personnel remain in the dark about its movement. Secondly, rain has also added to difficulties in monitoring,” said an Odisha wildlife officer on the condition of anonymity.
Zeenat, who was translocated from the Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to Similipal on Nov 24, on the night of Dec 8. Between Nov 24 and Dec 8, Zeenat explored the northern part of Similipal, which has robust prey base and a mix of core and buffer zones, unlike the south division, which is a core area, where tigress Yamuna was released.
According to wildlife officials, for 14 days, Zeenat stayed put in Similipal before embarking on a Jharkhand sojourn. Similipal, spread over 2750 sq km, has seven each of normal and melanistic tigresses. “Although it can’t be said with certainty, the tigress has tried to understand her new territory for two weeks. A tigress can have issues with other females because they perceive them as competitors. But tigers travelling far off in search of fresh territory is not new,” said Anup Nayak, former member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Wildlife officials said Zeenat, if she disperses further, may enter into the Bankura (South) division, for which forest officials of both states have drawn up plans to tackle the situation, sources said.
