Kolkata:
The Forest Department in West Bengal has finally tranquilised a tigress that was on the move across three states for 21 days. The tigress was successfully sedated and caged after a 21-day hunt, in which it covered over 300 km across Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
Forest Department officials managed to tranquilise the tiger near Gosaindihi village of Bankura district.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also praised the forest department officials for their success.
“My heartiest congratulations to the forest officials of West Bengal on the successful rescue of the tigress Zeenat. My sincere gratitude to the district administration, police, panchayat functionaries, and the local people for their invaluable support and collaboration in this remarkable effort. This rescue is a shining example of teamwork and dedication toward wildlife conservation. Your combined efforts have not only saved a majestic creature that strayed out of its habitat but also reinforced the importance of protecting our natural heritage. Thank you for your outstanding work,” she said in a post on social media platform X.
Zeenat, a three-year-old tigress, was brought to Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha, which is famous for melanistic tigers from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra on November 14, to strengthen the tiger reserve’s gene pool.
But on December 8, Zeenat moved out of the Similipal Tiger Reserve and strolled into the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.
After spending over a week in Jharkhand moving between locations, Zeenat covered another 15 km and entered Jhargram in West Bengal. From there she went to Bandwan in Purulia district and carried on to Manbazar.
On Sunday morning, the tigress entered the Ranibandh area in Bankura district.
Around 4 pm, the tigress was finally tranquilised after multiple efforts.
