Kolkata, Dec 20 (PTI) Forest personnel of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha are monitoring the movement of a tigress that has been moving around the contiguous forest belt of the three states since escaping from neighbouring state's Simlipal Tiger Reserve 10 days back, officials said on Friday.

The three-year-old tigress is now stated to be in Bengal territory at present, they said.

Also Read | Most-Bought Equity SIPs on Angel One in 2024: From HDFC Small Cap to Motilal Oswal Midcap and Aditya Birla Sun Life PSU Equity Fund, Check List Here.

The movement of 'Zeenat', the full-grown adult big cat, is constantly being monitored through radio collar fitted on her as a special squad of Bengal forest officials are on constant vigil with camouflaged cages with trap door kept ready and cattle kept as bait, Minister of State for Forest (Independent charge) Birbaha Hansda told PTI on Friday.

"Forest personnel from Jharkhand and Odisha are also accompanying our team. People are being told not to venture deep into the forest to collect firewood, saal leaves or for any other reason. We are tracking every movement of the tigress but there is no cause to be panicky," Hansda said.

Also Read | Mahakumbh Mela 2025: Hundreds of Organisations To Host 'Bhandara' Also Known As Free Community Kitchens During Month-Long Religious Festivities.

A senior forest official said the tigress has now been spotted in a forested part of Junglemahal area in West Bengal but refused not to divulge the place. People in pockets like Belpahari have been asked not to remain in open space after dusk and not to harm if they spot any such animal, he said.

The tigress had covered not less than 40 km after straying from Similipal in Odisha but such behaviour is normal for tigers who wander several kilometres in search of a new territory, the official said.

"Probably the forest belt of three neighbouring states, having similar habitat, became a corridor for her and she is trying to set up a base. We are at work to drive her away to Simplipal through the same route or if she is captured, release her back into the reserve forest in Odisha. We are hopeful there is no man-animal conflict," the senior state forest official said.

"The prey base is low in the areas where Zeenat is presently located. So, we hope she turns back to the reserve since there is more prey there," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)