On the first day of the new year, fresh tiger tracks were found in the Balidihi forest in Jharkhand, near the Ayodhya hills in south Bengal, a popular tourist spot in Purulia.
The tracks were discovered about 25 km from Ayodhya, where a dead cow with scratches was found, and a calf went missing, according to a forest department official.
The discovery comes just a week after a three-year-old tigress, Zeenat, was captured. She had strayed from Simlipal in Odisha, crossed Jharkhand, and traveled into south Bengal, covering nearly 2,300 km. Zeenat was tranquilised with a radio collar after a week of efforts and returned to Simlipal on Tuesday.
Satyajit Singh, Jharkhand's chief conservator of forests, said the tigress has not been directly seen yet. However, after examining the tracks, officials believe the animal is also a tigress like Zeenat. Trap cameras have been set up in the forest, and nylon nets are ready.
Tiger tracks can be identified by their shape: male tracks are square, while female tracks are rectangular. Singh mentioned that with Zeenat, her exact location was easy to track because of her radio collar. But since this tigress doesn't have one, the location will be determined by direct sightings or the tracks.
Also Read: Tigress Zeenat captured from Bengal after week-long chase
Bidyut Sarkar, the chief conservator of forests for southwest West Bengal, said their team is patrolling the area to see if there’s evidence suggesting the tiger has entered Bengal.
The Balidihi forest, where the tracks were found, is part of the Dalma range, which connects with the Simlipal forest. When asked if the tigress came from Simlipal, Singh said he isn’t sure.
There have been recent tiger sightings in Jharkhand, such as in the Hazaribagh reserve forest last year, after 44 years, and in the Palamou forest, where six tigers were spotted after a gap of over 50 years. This makes it unclear if the tigress came from Simlipal.
Although the West Bengal forest department hasn’t issued a public warning for villagers and tourists yet, a meeting was held on Thursday in Purulia. Forest guards have been instructed to increase patrols along the Bengal-Jharkhand border.
Also Read: Tigress brought back to Odisha's reserve after 3 weeks
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