Steering panel to decide Zeenat’s re-release date
BHUBANESWAR: The exact date of tigress Zeenat’s re-release in the core area of Similpal Tiger Reserve (STR) and the associated protocol will be decided by the steering committee of the wildlife wing, forest officials said on Friday.
After its shifting to STR from West Bengal, the three-year-old tigress has been kept in an enclosure in Jenabil range of Similipal south division for a brief period.
“Our officials and wildlife experts are continuously studying its behaviour. They are also in touch with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and will decide a suitable date for its release in the wild. It may take a little time,” said Forest and Environment minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia.
He said the forest department is planning to release Zeenat in Similipal south division considering the dense forest and prey base its core offers to the big cats. Even Jamuna, the first tigress brought from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) of Maharashtra and released in Similipal south, has been roaming the Kuldiha forests without facing any problem, he said.
A wildlife official said the steering committee headed by a CCF rank official will hold a meeting to decide as to when the tigress should be released in the wild.
The tigress which had moved out of Similipal was recaptured in Bankura district of West Bengal 23 days later before being brought back to Similipal, following a health check-up at Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, early morning on January 1.
Replying to a question whether West Bengal government was reluctant to release Zeenat that prompted the state to approach NTCA, the minister said the tigress was brought to Similipal with the approval of NTAC. “So, in no way, they (West Bengal) had the scope to keep it with them,” Singhkhuntia said.
He said both the states had mutual understanding, followed the NTCA protocol and supported each other in relocating back the tigress safely to its landscape.
Asked, what would have the state government’s response if WB had not agreed to return Zeenat, the minister, on a lighter note, said: “Zeenat is not a potato. They (WB) may have control over supply of potato but Zeenat is our pride.”