THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Dec 10: Jharkhand’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden Satyajit Singh who is state HoFF (Head of the Forest Force) is pretty concerned about the safety of the tigress Zeenat that has travelled down from Similipal National Park, Baripada, Odisha to Jharkhand over the past few days.
The Jharkhand Story correspondent spoke to Satyajit Singh today to know how his team is taking care of this beautiful tigress Zeenat.
Q: Zeenat tigress is radio collared. The parent national park Similipal officials are tracking its movement in Jharkhand. Will she retreat?
A: I don’t see much hope of the retreat right now.
Q: Then you have one option. Tranquillize her and pack her up for Similipal National Park.
A: That’s the option most open. But for this, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden of Odisha has to put his best foot forward. He is to ask for it. We are here to tranquillize it. There is a whole long protocol for tranquillizing a wildlife. We will do it but for which a request is to come for it from Odisha first.
Q: Will tranquillizing a radio-collared tigress come in the way of her health or cause any health hazard?
A: No. Nothing of the sort.
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Q: What is this hurry on the part of the Similipal National Park officials to get back its asset. Let Zeenat be here. Jharkhand has a fair reputation for safeguarding its tigers.
A: Yes, we hail her arrival here. She is a gorgeous guest here. I understand the Similipal officials just don’t want her to cross over to West Bengal. West Bengal’s Jhargram is not very far from where Zeenat is on our soil which is a a cross section to West Bengal and Odisha too. As regards her safety and security our officials are pulling all stops. Today our regional chief conservator of forests and divisional forest officials are mugging hard at the location for this Zeenat.
Q: Is feed or prey any problem with Zeenat?
A: No. Here the forests are in patches. There are kotras, barking deer. Cattle too abound in here. So food is no issue.
Q: The Jharkhand Story has a conviction that the exact location of the tiger or tigress be not made public for safety reasons, but it knows where Zeenat is, railway lines are not far off. How your men are going about it as railway tracks have proved most unlucky for the elephants and their calves.
A: We respect this concern for the wildlife. Yes, there are railway lines. Our officials are in touch with the railway officials too. All for the safety of the tigress.
Q: What is the reaction to her from the public? People here take wildlife in their stride for instance a lone leopard had kept half of the Garhwa district on tenterhooks for weeks together last year and common people just didn’t go amok with the leopard which had killed three humans.
A: It’s all calm. There is no panic. Our forest officials have fanned out. People know what to do.
