Banerjee said the Bengal Forest Department’s move to repatriate the tigress Zeenat was a model but the BJP-ruled Odisha government failed to acknowledge it.

“If you do not have place then let us know. We will keep it (tigress) in our tiger reserve,” she said.

Slamming the Odisha administration, Banerjee said the life of people in Bengal has been disrupted again due to the big cat being entering the state. The Odisha government, she alleged, was unable to protect its wildlife like tigers.

About the capture of tigress Zeenat, the Chief Minister said, “Five districts (of West Bengal) were practically locked down at that time. People could not leave their homes and schools had to be closed. We endured the ordeal and later they asked us to return the tiger.”

Zeenat, a three-year-old tigress, was introduced to Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra on November 14 to strengthen the reserve’s gene pool.

On December 8, Zeenat escaped the reserve and walked into Jharkhand.

After staying in Jharkhand’s Chakulia area for over a week, Zeenat crossed another 15 km and entered Bengal’s Jhargram. The tigress then crossed over to Purulia.