The three-year-old tigress Zeenat, translocated from Maharashtra’s Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve to Odisha's Similipal to correct a genetic disorder, has found a mate and is believed to be pregnant.
Zeenat is expected to give birth within the next 10 weeks, forest officials said on Tuesday.
Principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) P.K. Jha said Zeenat mated with T-12, a dominant melanistic male tiger from the Jamuna meadow in Similipal South Division, in mid-May and is now showing signs of pregnancy.
"The male was lured near Zeenat’s enclosure after she showed signs of oestrus. She was released from the enclosure on April 17, and mating was recorded on a thermal camera in the second week of May,” said Jha.
Since then, the tigress has been roaming the core area of the reserve, hunting wild prey such as cheetal, sambar and wild boar. Her movement is being tracked round-the-clock by teams working in eight-hour shifts. Each team comprises four personnel and monitors her via VHF radio and GPS location updates received every four hours.
Officials said they are optimistic Zeenat will stay within the sanctuary for the next two to three years post-delivery, as tigresses with cubs tend to remain in their chosen territory. “We expect Zeenat to deliver towards the end of August or early September, in keeping with the 105 to 120-day gestation period typical for big cats,” said a senior official.
To address the issue of genetic disorders linked to inbreeding among Similipal’s melanistic tigers, the Odisha government had translocated two tigresses — Zeenat and Jamuna — from the Kharwa range of Tadoba. Jamuna arrived on November 9, and Zeenat on November 13, 2024.
Zeenat was placed in a soft release enclosure in the Chahala range on November 15, and released into the wild on December 24. However, she wandered out of the reserve on December 7 and spent nearly two weeks in the Chakulia range of Jamshedpur division in Jharkhand.
She moved to Bengal on December 20, passing through Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura districts. On December 29, the tigress was tranquilised near Gopalpur village in South Bankura and taken to Alipore Zoo in Calcutta for observation. She was released back into the wild on the night of December 31.
On January 1, 2025, Zeenat was returned to Similipal and kept in a one-hectare soft release enclosure at Jamuna meadow. “She was found to be healthy and active. The enclosure was later expanded to 8 hectares, with a boma system that allowed entry of natural prey. She adapted quickly, hunting cheetal and sambar regularly,” said officials.
In the second week of March, Zeenat was shifted to a larger enclosure, where she moved stress-free and continued hunting. Her release into the dense forest followed soon after.
"Now, with Zeenat adapting well to the wild and showing signs of pregnancy, the rewilding mission is yielding results. Her companion Jamuna is also reported to be healthy and well-adjusted,” an official said.
Similipal has seen a rise in melanistic tigers — also known as black tigers — due to inbreeding. Officials believe that the arrival of genetically diverse tigresses like Zeenat and Jamuna will help correct this imbalance.
“Inbreeding has caused genetic anomalies in Similipal’s tiger population, comparable to incestuous relationships. Introducing new bloodlines is crucial. With Zeenat and Jamuna, we are hopeful this issue can be gradually corrected,” said a senior forest official.