Bhubaneswar: Tigress Zeenat was re-released to the wild at Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha today.

The three-year-old tigress had been tranquillized and rescued from a forest in Bankura district of West Bengal at least 21 days after it strayed out of Similipal.

“The tigress was initially re-released to the Chahala range of Similipal. It was later escorted to Jenabil range in the southern part of Similipal. The big cat is now in the core area of the tiger reserve. Our officials are continuously tracking its movement through the radio collar on its neck,” said Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia.

Tigress Zeenat had been brought to Similipal from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra under a translocation project on November 14 last year. She had been released to the core area of the tiger reserve on November 25 following a brief stay at a soft enclosure.

However, the tigress strayed out of Similipal and entered Jharkhand on December 8.

Zeenat ventured into a forest in Belpahari area of West Bengal from Chakulia range of Jharkhand on December 20. It was finally tranquillised in Bankura district of Bengal on December 29.

The tigress was brought back to Similipal on January 1 this year after it underwent health check-up at Alipore Zoo in Kolkata.