Tigress Jamuna moves out of Similipal, following Zeenat's trail

Bhubaneswar, Dec 17: Just days after tigress Zeenat departed from Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve and made her way into Jharkhand, another tigress, Jamuna, has also reportedly left the reserve, entering the Kuladiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Balasore district.

Sources indicate that Jamuna strayed into Kuladiha on Sunday night. Like Zeenat, she was relocated to Odisha from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. After being released into the core area of Similipal on November 9, Jamuna, a two-and-a-half-year-old tigress, had previously spent time in a soft enclosure at Similipal National Park, where she demonstrated her hunting skills on October 31.

While forest officials have been closely monitoring Zeenat’s movements over the past week, Jamuna’s departure adds another layer of complexity to the situation.

Regional Chief Wildlife Warden PC Gogineni confirmed that both tigresses are under observation. The Odisha government previously stated that the relocation of Zeenat and Jamuna aimed to boost the local tiger population.

However, their movement away from the reserve raises concerns among wildlife enthusiasts. Experts suggest that habitat inadequacies and food scarcity may be driving these tigers away, urging the government to address these issues to support tiger conservation efforts in the state.