Baripada: The state Forest department’s efforts to infuse a fresh genetic pool among the big cats in Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district has been pushed into uncertainty as another tigress,‘Jamuna’, has moved out of the park and strayed into Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary in Balasore district. The incident comes days after tigress ‘Zeenat’ who had been relocated from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra moved into the forests of neighbouring Jharkhand.
Sources said Monday that Jamuna, who had also been relocated from Maharashtra, crossed the Similipal Tiger Reserve Sunday night and reached Kuldiha in neighbouring Balasore district. The development has only added to the difficulties of Forest department personnel who are on their toes and spending sleepless nights to make Zeenat return to Similipal. Zeenat has been roaming in Jharkhand’s forests for the past eight days and is showing no signs of returning to Similipal.
Sources said Forest personnel are actively tracking both the big cats. Experts believe that the lack of suitable habitats within Similipal might be driving the tigresses to explore nearby forests. Regional Chief Wildlife Warden and Field Director of Tiger Conservation Project, Prakash Chand Gogineni, confirmed that both Zeenat and Jamuna are being tracked to ensure their safety. The tigresses were relocated to Similipal from Maharashtra as part of an initiative to boost big cat population and bring change in their genetic diversity in the reserve. However, their recent movements away from the sanctuary have raised concerns about the viability of these efforts.
Zeenat has been observed in Jharkhand’s Chiabandhi, Machhapada, and Rajabasa forests, approximately 40 kilometers from Similipal, since December 8. Forest officials from Odisha and Jharkhand are monitoring her movement round the clock with a team of 15 personnel, including three trained teams from the Similipal Tiger Conservation Project. Side by side, Yamuna left Similipal and made her way into Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary via Sukhuapata hill under Kaptipada forest range, and then through Oupada in Balasore district Sunday night. Her current location is believed to be about 20 to 25 kilometers from Similipal’s core zone. Jamuna had been released into the southern division of Similipal’s tiger conservation area from an enclosure November 9.
Nevertheless, the tigresses’ departure from Similipal has highlighted challenges related to habitat suitability and the complexities of ensuring tiger conservation in fragmented landscapes. This has also cast doubt on ongoing plans to enhance genetic diversity within the reserve’s tiger population. Conservationists and authorities are working to understand the factors behind these movements and take corrective measures to safeguard the long-term viability of Similipal’s tiger population. Commenting on the development, former wildlife warden Bhanumitra Acharya said Similipal’s environment may not be suitable for both tigresses, Jamuna and Zeenat. “The two big cats were accustomed to hunting and thriving in Maharashtra’s Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, which consists of plains forests. It seems they are struggling to adapt to Similipal’s rugged and hilly forest environment,” he said before releasing the two tigresses into Similipal, it was critical to ensure their acclimatisation to the region’s climate, habitat, and wildlife. Unfortunately, no such efforts were made by the Forest Department. “The tigresses were merely brought and released into Similipal without sufficient preparation,” Acharya said. Even expanding the enclosure boundaries to gradually introduce the tigresses to the forest’s native wildlife was a necessary step that was overlooked, he added.
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Since the mission was allegedly initiated hastily, doubts about its success have begun to surface. Meanwhile, panic gripped the local residents following reports of tiger pug marks having been spotted in the Kaptipada forest range area. After reports surfaced, Forest officials began monitoring Jamuna’s movements.
