Tigress Zeenat removed darts shot at it thrice, says man at the forefront of tranquillisation op
Times of India | 29 December 2024
123456 Kolkata: He, along with his team members from the Sundarbans, stayed put in Jangalmahal since Dec 20 — the day Odisha tigress Zeenat entered Bengal in Belpahari. On Sunday, Mrityunjay Biswas — deputy ranger from the Sundarbans — was in the forefront of the team that led to the successful tranquillisation of 3-year-old Zeenat around 3.56 pm on Sunday.
"I have tranquillised tigers in Sundarbans, but have never encountered one that would remove darts shot at it. It did so thrice on Saturday. This made our task challenging," Biswas said.
According to him, every time its thigh was targeted. "Taking cue from Saturday, we darted it around its shoulder on Sunday. And this proved effective. It was fired around 4 pm and shortly after it became lethargic. Fifteen minutes later, since there was slight movement, the team checked on it again and administered a second dart with minimal dose," he said, thanking his fellow team members, including Rajib Naskar.
While darts were fired from the bucket of an excavator on Saturday. On Sunday, it was fired from a car, added Biswas.
Biswas said the most arduous task over the past nine days was to shift nylon nets (used to surround the tigress's locations to restrict its movement) and setting them up across different locations many times a day.
Around 4.45 pm, a convoy of seven cars, including the specialised one with the cage where the big cat was shifted after capture, started from Bankura's Gosaindihi for Alipore zoo. Chief conservator of forest S Kulandaivel said: "We have informed SPs of the districts that will fall in our route to provide safe passage to us." Senior officials like Kulandaivel, Purulia DFO Anjan Guha, a veterinarian and officials from Odisha were in this car.
At Alipore zoo, officials made arrangements so that vets could observe the big cat. An official said they would keep the tigress at zoo hospital after its arrival. "After its arrival, we will shift it to a squeeze cage so that vets can examine it," he added. After that, they will prescribe medicines, if needed, and food to it. The convoy reached the city zoo around 11 pm on Sunday.
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