Palamu tiger moves along Zeenat’s route

Bhubaneswar: A male tiger that dispersed from Palamu tiger reserve in Jharkhand has been frequently noticed along the routes that tigress Zeenat took to disperse from Similipal Tiger Reserve to Jharkhand and then to West Bengal. Going by the male tiger's movement and neighbouring reserves having no female tigers, Similipal may be its next home, wildlife experts feel. They are apprehensive that if the male tiger follows Zeenat's path, it will face many natural barriers in the forests.
"Tiger psychology is difficult to prejudge. But an adult male tiger will look for a better prey base and partner. There is continuity of forest, where it was sighted, with Similipal. If the feline takes the Saranda forest route, it can easily land in Similipal," said field director, Simlipal Tiger Reserve, Prakash Gogineni.
Similipal has 14 female and 13 male tigers. To increase the genetic diversity of Similipal, recently two tigresses, Yamuna and Zeenat, were brought from Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve. While Yamuna started exploring new habitat towards Similipal bordering Kuldhia wildlife sanctuary, Zeenat is lodged in an enclosure as it dispersed. After it was captured in West Bengal, it was lodged in the soft enclosure for its behaviour to be studied.
According to Anup Nayak, former member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Palamu tiger may explore Dalma wildlife sanctuary, Guru Ghasidas Tiger Reserve, and possibly Sanjay Duburi Tiger Reserve, but for it, Similipal will be the best place to stick around as it has a healthy female breeding population. "There is contiguity of forests from several corners, but no one knows which direction the animal will take. In the case of Palamu, tigers come and go. It doesn't have a stable population," he said.
Wildlife authorities in Similipal have nearly completed construction of an eight-hectare enclosure at Jamunagad in the core area for Zeenat. The Munda tribal community, which alleged that the forest department destroyed their sacred groves, clarified on Saturday that their presiding deity Jayara can't be relocated or shifted. Jamunagad village was relocated to give way for an inviolate space. "Adivasi deities or sacred groves cannot be relocated or shifted because we are nature worshippers and animists," said Sagar Ho, a member of the Munda community.