Wait continues for Zeenat's return to Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Having travelled 5km towards the Odisha border from Jharkhand on Friday, tigress Zeenat spent Saturday at the place where it had hunted cattle, wildlife officials said.

The wildlife wing is hoping for it to travel again on Sunday night, and if it does, it might come close to the Subarnarekha river bank, from where its course will be clear.

"Zeenat is still within the jurisdiction of Chakulia range's Rajabasa. Since it killed prey on Saturday, it probably didn't move further. Its movement is being tracked through signals from a radio collar. We will see on Monday how far it proceeds towards Odisha and what routes it takes," said Prem Kumar Jha, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife).

The officials assured that the tigress is within the secure zone and they are not contemplating tranquillisation at present, even though field personnel are ready with the required kit. On Friday, the tigress had slightly moved towards the south of Rajabasa, covering 10km from the location where it was traced by field personnel through radio signals.

The three-year-old tigress has been giving sleepless nights to over two dozen forest officials of Jharkhand and Odisha ever since it entered the neighbouring state's border. As the tigress moved, the forest officials in West Bengal were also put on alert, expecting that Zeenat might move to Bengal on its onward journey. A 15-member team from Odisha's wildlife division has been tracking its movement ever since.

The tigress's movements have forced authorities to impose prohibitory orders in four Jharkhand villages — Chiabandi, Kadsinga, Baldrashod and Dhadika — effectively placing thousands under house arrest for five days. Schools have been shut for the time being as fear grips the region.