Tigress Zeenat released into southern Similipal reserve in Odisha

Zeenat, the three-year-old tigress that had been wandering for three weeks near the borders of three States before being brought to Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve, was released into a soft enclosure in the reserve’s southern division on Wednesday (January 1, 2025), marking a new home for the big cat as the New Year begins.

Zeenat was translocated from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to the Similipal Tiger Reserve on November 14 as part of a strategy to boost the genetic diversity of the reserve’s big cat population.

It has been a matter of concern that a significant number of tigers in Similipal displayed pseudo-melanism, characterised by black stripes that are much more pronounced than the typical colouration of a Royal Bengal Tiger. This is largely a result of inbreeding. Under the supervision of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Zeenat, and another tigress Jamuna, were released into the Similipal Tiger Reserve.