Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: Three-year-old tigress ‘Zeenat’, which had escaped from Similipal Tiger Reserve some days ago and entered the Jharkhand border, is now believed to be roaming in West Bengal forests, sources said Friday. Forest personnel of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha are closely monitoring the movement of the tigress that has been roaming the contiguous forest belt of the three states since escaping from STR 10 days ago, according to Forest officials. “’Zeenat’, is currently believed to be in Bengal territory. Her movements are being tracked via a radio collar, and a special squad of Bengal forest officials is on constant watch,” they said. Movement of ‘Zeenat’, the full-grown adult big cat, is constantly being monitored through a radio collar fitted on her as a special squad of Bengal forest officials are on constant vigil with camouflaged cages with trap door kept ready and cattle kept as bait, Minister of State for Forest (Independent charge) Birbaha Hansda told PTI Friday. “Forest personnel from Jharkhand and Odisha are also accompanying our team. People are being told not to venture deep into the forest to collect firewood, saal leaves or for any other reason. We are tracking every movement of the tigress but there is no cause to be panicky,” Hansda said.
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A senior forest official said the tigress has now been spotted in a forested part of Junglemahal area in West Bengal but refused to divulge the place. People in pockets like Belpahari have been asked not to remain in open space after dusk and not to harm if they spot any such animal, he said. The tigress had covered not less than 40 km after straying from Similipal in Odisha but such behaviour is normal for tigers who wander several kilometres in search of a new territory, the official said. “Probably the forest belt of three neighbouring states, having similar habitat, became a corridor for her and she is trying to set up a base. We are at work to drive her away to Simplipal through the same route or if she is captured, release her back into the reserve forest in Odisha. We are hopeful there is no man-animal conflict,” the senior state forest official said. “The prey base is low in the areas where ‘Zeenat’ is presently located. So, we hope she turns back to the reserve since there is more prey there,” he said.