BHUBANESWAR: Zeenat, a four-year-old tigress translocated from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) two years back, has delivered four cubs, giving Odisha a rare conservation milestone and Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) a fresh genetic impetus.
The ambitious tiger supplementation programme which was initiated in 2024 amid trepidation saw the tigress inhabiting the core area of Similipal where it mated with a native male.
The cubs are believed to be about three weeks old. A dedicated team is monitoring Zeenat’s movements through a satellite collar and VHF signals and keeping a watch on the cubs with the help of camera traps installed in the core area of the reserve. Forest patrol has also been intensified in the adjacent areas.
The success of the supplementation project is significant for Similipal whose isolated tiger population often sparked apprehensions of a collapse and called for a genetic rescue, prompting the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to seek a scientific intervention.
Sharing the news on X, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi termed it a landmark for Odisha’s wildlife conservation efforts. “Zeenat, one of the tigresses translocated from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve to Similipal, has given birth to four healthy cubs in the core area of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR). This milestone strengthens Similipal’s tiger population and genetic diversity, reflecting the success of science-led conservation and the dedicated efforts of our forest staff,” an elated Majhi stated.
He commended the Forest department for special measures to ensure the safety of the mother and her cubs. “Our government remains fully committed to preserving the ecological balance of Similipal,” he asserted.
Forest minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia said the favourable environment and secure habitat of Similipal made the achievement possible. “The tiger translocation project has achieved its primary objective by obtaining successful off springs.
The genetic diversity will be helpful in securing the future of Similipal tiger population,” he said. The 2,750 sq km habitat, currently, has 32 unique individuals. With the latest birth, the number of cubs in Similipal has increased from 12 to 16. STR field director Prakash Chand Gogineni said it is now crucial to monitor all the cubs’ survival since Zeenat has become a mother for the first time. “There have been instances where all cubs have survived,” he said. After giving birth, the tigress is unlikely to leave her territory for at least the next two to three years, officials said.
Brought from Tadoba-Andhari TR, Zeenat had kept forest officials in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal on tenterhooks after she left STR on December 7, 2024. After a 23-day-long operation, it was eventually recaptured in West Bengal’s Bankura district and brought back to Similipal on January 1, 2025. She was released into the wild from its enclosure in April 2025 after which it mated with a resident male in January 2026.
The Forest, Environment and Climate Change department went to great lengths to secure her territory by installing an extensive network of AI-enabled camera systems across the habitat. Using realtime intelligence on forest fires, illegal activities and wildlife movements, the STR staff strengthened protection measures. Advanced fire-fighting measures were deployed which reduced forest fire while anti-poaching measures were beefed up with deployment of armed police personnel and establishment of a dedicated Similipal Tiger Protection Force battalion.
“The tiger translocation project envisaged for increasing the genetic diversity of Similipal tigers has achieved its primary objective by obtaining successful off springs,” said PCCF (wildlife) Prem Kumar Jha.