So close yet to far: Zeenat moves towards Odisha

Bhubaneswar: With tigress Zeenat moving another 5 km towards Odisha Saturday, forest department officials tracking the big cat's movement in Rajabasa under Chakulia forest division in Jharkhand are hopeful of its return to Odisha.
According to the officials monitoring Zeenat's movement, the tigress is 15 km away from the Odisha border. "It will be a significant indicator of its return to Odisha once it crosses the Subarnarekha river," said field director, Similipal Tiger Reserve, Prakash Gogineni.
On Friday, the tigress reportedly moved back slightly towards the south of Rajabasa in Jharkhan's Chakulia range, covering 10 km from the location where it was spotted by field personnel on monitoring duty.
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 is tracking its movement ever since.
Tigress Zeenat, as it is named, originally from Maharashtra's Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, was relocated to Odisha's Similipal last month. It astonished experts by embarking on an extraordinary journey spanning over 100 km into Jharkhand close to the West Bengal border.
The tigress's movements even forced authorities to impose Section BNSS-163 in four villages — Chiabandi, Kadsinga, Baldrashod, and Dhadika — effectively placing thousands under house arrest for five days. Schools have been shut indefinitely as fear grips the area.
Zeenat's journey began on Nov 14, when she was brought to Similipal in an inter-state translocation project. Released into the wild after a brief period, she defied all odds by leaping hills, crossing rivers, and traversing forests at a pace of 12 km a day.
It was on Dec 8 when the big cat made her boldest move, leaving the sanctuary's core area and crossing into Jharkhand through Joka area in Bangiriposhi range. "She's a pioneer, charting her own path through the wilderness. Her movements indicate strong survival instincts. This is unprecedented. With its movement now, it is hoped that she will cross the Odisha border again," said Gogineni.