21-day trail for Zeenat ends as Odisha tigress tranquillised in Bengal’s Bankura after 5 failed attempts in over 24 hrs
Times of India | 29 December 2024
123 Kolkata/Purulia/Bankura/Jhargram: The 21-day trail of Similipal tigress Zeenat, during which it covered more than 200 kilometres, finally ended as it was darted around 3.56 pm on Sunday in Bankura's Gosaindihi village in Ranibandh block after five failed attempts since Saturday afternoon.
The three-year-old tigress is being brought to Alipore zoo where its vital parameters will be checked after which "it will be sent to the right destination".
Bengal's chief wildlife warden Debal Roy said it was a single-dart operation that started after 3 pm on Sunday.
During its nine-day stay in Bengal — the tigress entered the state through Belpahari on the morning of Dec 20 — it traversed three districts of Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura, keeping the foresters on their toes as it played a hide-and-seek with them inside the dense forests and hilly terrains of Jangalmahal.
The tigress brought from Maharashtra's Tadoba was released in Similipal North's core on Nov 23 and it left the tiger reserve, entering Jharkhand on Dec 8 night.
Meanwhile, at least five attempts to dart the tigress had failed on Saturday. "During three of them, the dart hit the tigress and twice they missed the target. At one time, it even became sluggish but later kept moving. We decided to abort the operation around 4.30 am on Sunday," added Roy.
During one attempt, the dart purportedly struck the tigress but it managed to remove it. Chief conservator of forest (south-east) S Kulandaivel said: "We wanted to avoid any risk of overdose to the big cat and hence resumed operation after 3 pm on Sunday. The tigress was in the same location within the net fencing and it was safe."
A veterinarian said upon successful darting, a big cat typically becomes unconscious within 5-10 minutes. If movement persists beyond this timeframe, the dart likely failed to properly penetrate, he elaborated.
The foresters elevated the net fencing surrounding the 1.5-hectare operational area on Sunday afternoon to prevent unauthorised entry. "The focus was also on preventing the big cat from leaping over and escaping," an official added.
Over 170 senior officials and staff from the Bengal forest department took part in the operation, said Bengal's CWLW Roy. An additional 70 personnel from neighbouring Odisha were present.
Excavator machines were used to approach the tiger, with darting specialists positioned in the machine buckets to administer tranquilliser shots. Several maintained surveillance from treetop positions.
Four forest vehicles remained stationed in the area to prevent the big cat's escape from the zone surrounded by human settlements.
Three-year-old Zeenat was brought to Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve from Maharashtra's Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve under a translocation project to enhance the gene pool of big cats in the Odisha reserve.
GFX
The 21-day journey
Zeenat left Similipal on the night of Dec 8
It entered Jharkhand, stayed in the forests there for 11 days
The tigress entered Bengal's Belpahari from Jharkhand's Chakulia on Dec 20 morning
On Dec 22 morning, it entered Purulia
On Dec 28, it entered Bankura
Around 3.56 pm on Dec 29, it was successfully tranquillised
The operation
Excavator machines are being utilised to approach the tiger, with darting specialists positioned in the machine buckets to administer tranquilliser shots
Several staff members are maintaining surveillance from treetop positions
Night-vision drones operate particularly after sunset to locate the tigress
Tracking teams act based on these locations
4 forest vehicles remain stationed in the area to prevent the big cat's escape from the zone surrounded by human settlements
At least 60 senior officials and staff from Bengal took part in the operation. An additional 70 from neighbouring Odisha are present