Tigress Zeenat has caught all the forest officials on the wrong foot as she has shifted to nearby Manbazar from Raika Hills in Bandwan, the forest minister of Odisha, Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia has said that all efforts will be taken to bring back the Big Cat in Similipal Tiger Reserve.
Representation image (File Photo)
Tigress Zeenat has caught all the forest officials on the wrong foot as she has shifted to nearby Manbazar from Raika Hills in Bandwan, the forest minister of Odisha, Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia has said that all efforts will be taken to bring back the Big Cat in Similipal Tiger Reserve.
The forest department has taken help from the hula party to chase the tigress, but that effort has failed. Normally, to push back the stray elephant herds in the forests of South Bengal, the forest department takes help from the hula party.
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Divisional forest officer of Kangsabati south division Purbai Mahato has said that forest officials have reached Manbazar after radio collar signals pointed to her presence there. There is heightened vigil around waterbodies in the surrounding areas. Already in Raika she has entered into a tribal infested hamlet for drinking from a local pond.
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In the meantime, she has hunted domestic lambs at Raika Hills belonging to the local tribal people.
Debal Roy, chief conservator of forests of West Bengal said that the terrain in Raika Hills was very tough for human movements, and in Manbazar it is a forest area, so officials can move easily. “However, unlike in Raika Hill surrounding areas, the human population was very low, while in Manbazar, there is considerable human population. We, along with the police, are warning the locals not to move alone and not allow anybody to roam after sunset in these areas,” he added.
The forest department is trying to surround the tigress from all corners and force her to move forward and hunt the bait, while experts with tranquiliser guns will be kept beside for immediate actions.
She has travelled 15 kilometers from Raika forests to reach Manbazar.
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