West Bengal got its first glimpse of a tiger coming from Jharkhand as a trap camera was able to capture its picture on Saturday night. This comes as an army of forest officials, guards and a special team with tranquilliser guns work to sedate or capture the animal.
“One of our trap cameras was able to take its pictures. The situation remains the same, and we are tracking the tiger,” Debal Roy, the head of the forest force in the state, told The Indian Express.
“There are many trap cameras placed around the area where the tiger is located. One of them was able to take two pictures while it passed by. The tiger is presently in a forest area in Purulia district in Bengal, bordering Jharkhand,” S Kulandaival, Chief Conservator of Forests, told The Indian Express. “We have put in all resources and the teams are in place. Villages near the forest have been alerted.”
According to forest department officials, the tiger is located near the Raika Hill area in Purulia, where it had come from Jhargram a few days ago after entering Bengal from Jharkhand on January 12.
Over 90 pairs of camera traps have been placed inside the forest area, along with six smart cameras (with live feed) and an expert team from Sundarbans equipped with two tranquilliser guns, among other resources, to track and possibly capture the tiger.
“It is true that this one, unlike the previous one, has no radio collar. This makes our job tougher. But the good news is that for the first time our trap cameras were able to take its picture. So now we are confident of its location,” said a forest official.
On December 29, 2024, Zeenat was sedated and captured in Bankura after 21 days of travel for nearly 300 km from the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha, crossing Jharkhand. A war of words erupted between West Bengal and Odisha after the three-year-old tigress was returned to Odisha.
This time, however, Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda said the tiger, if captured, would be relocated in Bengal and not returned.
Zeenat was introduced to the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra on November 14 as part of a programme to strengthen the reserve’s gene pool. On December 8, Zeenat escaped from the Similipal Tiger Reserve and strolled into Jharkhand and then West Bengal.
Experts believe it is common for tigers to cover distances to find a suitable area or territory with a good prey base.