BHUBANESWAR : Even as efforts are underway to capture tigress Zeenat, state wildlife officials said it would be difficult to catch hold of the dispersing cat until it ends its search for a suitable habitat to establish its territory.
The tigress, translocated from the Tadoba landscape in Maharashtra to Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in November, has strayed into West Bengal’s Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve after navigating through Jharkhand’s Chakulia range and West Bengal’s Jhargram and Purulia forests.
Around 130 forest staff have been engaged to tranquilise the big cat. However, state wildlife officials said the long dispersal of the tigress during the nights is making it a challenging affair to mobilise resources for the purpose. Zeenat is reportedly covering about 20-25 km area in a single night at times.
PCCF Wildlife Prem Kumar Jha said the factor responsible for Zeenat’s long dispersal is its hunt for a suitable habitat to establish its territory. “The place where Zeenat is circulating now is making it difficult to get signals from the radio collar. However, once the big cat settles, it will be easier for us to capture and bring it back to Similipal,” Jha added.
The female tigress had entered Jharkhand on December 9 and moved to West Bengal a few days back. Three forest teams, two from West Bengal and one from Odisha, are now tracking its movement, while wildlife officials of neighbouring Jharkhand are also on alert, sources said.