KOLKATA, Dec 29: Tigress Zeenat, which had strayed from Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) to Bankura in West Bengal, was finally captured on Sunday afternoon after being sedated with tranquillisers, chief wildlife warden Debal Roy said.
The tigress had kept wildlife officials from both the states on edge for over a week after leaving STR.
Roy said the tigress was tranquillised with a single dart shot at 4:09 pm, after previous attempts to sedate her had failed. The animal’s vital parameters would be examined before deciding her temporary accommodation, he said.
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“Zeenat could not be sedated during a previous attempt despite tranquillisers being used early Sunday morning. The operation resumed in the afternoon after veterinarians gave their approval,” he said.
Since Saturday night, the tigress had been in Gopalpur forest in Bankura district, where she was surrounded by double netting, he added.
“At 1.20 am on Sunday, the tigress was first tranquillised, but despite repeated doses, she could not be sedated,” Roy said.
The operation was paused at 4:30 am due to the upper limit on tranquilliser doses. After the tigress had rested and calmed down, the operation resumed, and she was successfully sedated in the afternoon, Roy said.
Zeenat had been relocated from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) to Similipal last month to introduce new gene pool to the tiger population.
After leaving Similipal, Zeenat ventured through forests in Manbazar and Bandwan before crossing into West Bengal, covering over 120 km across the borders of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
Despite efforts, the tigress avoided baits in trap-door cages and instead killed domestic goats that strayed into the forest. Surveillance using drones was also conducted, but the dense forests made monitoring challenging.
Officials said Zeenat had been traveling shorter distances in recent days, suggesting she may be settling in the area. (PTI)
