In a major success for India's inter-state tiger translocation project, Zeenat, a 4.5-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger brought from Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, has given birth to four cubs in Similipal Tiger Reserve. The tigress was translocated to Similipal, home to rare melanistic tigers, in 2024 to introduce a new genetic pool, and the birth of the cubs has achieved its primary target.
Conservation Milestone
Forest minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia called it a significant development for Similipal. He stated, "The tigress, which had once dispersed, settled in the reserve and gave birth to cubs that can change the course of conservation breeding of big cats. The birth of cubs is like a seed for creation of a new gene pool. Now, their survival is important."
Similipal authorities learned from camera trap images that Zeenat had given birth to four cubs when the tigress was seen shifting them from one place to another. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi wrote on social media, "Special measures have been taken by the forest department to ensure the safety of mother and cubs and their movements are continuously being monitored."
Cautious Approach
Considering the failure of a previous translocation in 2018, when tigress Sundari and tiger MB2 were brought from Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia, authorities at Similipal were very cautious with Zeenat. They kept constant watch on her movements through a satellite collar and very high frequency signals, and camera trap images were also under scrutiny.
Chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha said, "We had been tracking through the radio collar and found that the tigress had confined itself to a very limited area. We were not sure, but it was an indication." Based on the cubs' estimated size, they are about three weeks old, suggesting Zeenat may have conceived in January.
Teamwork and Resilience
Jha emphasized that the successful interstate translocation of tigers has become a story of resilience and teamwork. "The tiger translocation project envisaged for increasing the genetic diversity of Similipal tigers has achieved its primary objective by obtaining successful offspring. The mating of Tadoba Tiger Reserve female and Similipal Tiger Reserve male will generate offspring with high genetic diversity and will be helpful in securing the future of Similipal tiger population," he said.
Former PCCF (wildlife) Susanta Nanda remarked that the birth of the cubs to tigress Zeenat is not just another addition to India's growing tiger population. "It marks the culmination of one of the country's most ambitious and closely watched conservation interventions — a bold attempt to rescue a tiger landscape that was slowly drifting towards genetic isolation," Nanda explained.
