Runaway Tigress ‘Zeenat’ Sparks Inter-State Coordination Across Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal

Runaway Tigress ‘Zeenat’ Sparks Inter-State Coordination Across Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal

Sub :Env

Sec: Species in news

Why in News

A three-year-old tigress named Zeenat, translocated from Maharashtra to Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), has wandered across state boundaries, triggering alerts in Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

About Similipal National Park:

• Simlipal is a tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in the Indian state of Odisha
• It is part of the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes three protected areas -Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Simlipal National Park derives its name from the abundance of red silk cotton trees growing in the area.
• The floristic composition indicates a connecting link between South Indian and North Eastern Sub-Himalayan Species.
• Forest is predominantly moist mixed deciduous forest with tropical semi-evergreen forest in areas with suitable microclimatic conditions and sporadic patches of dry deciduous forests and grasslands. It forms the largest watershed of northern Odisha.
• It holds the highest tiger population in Odisha, and harbours the only population of melanistic tigers in the world.
• The STR is Asia’s second largest biosphere (after the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat), and the country’s only wild habitat for melanistic royal Bengal tigers
• Other carnivores found here are leopard, leopard cat, fishing cat, jungle cat and wolf. The active management of mugger has revived its population on the banks of the rivers Khairi and Deo.
• Similipal Tiger Reserve is also home to the largest population of elephants in Odisha.
• This protected area is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2009.

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) Notes:

• Location: Chandrapur District, Maharashtra, India.
• Notified in 1955 as a National Park; declared a Tiger Reserve in 1995.
• Covers approximately 1,727 square kilometers, combining Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Predominantly tropical dry deciduous forests. Dominant tree species include teak, crocodile bark, and bamboo.
• Home to a significant tiger population; forms part of India’s Project Tiger.
• Other wildlife: Indian leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, gaur (Indian bison), and marsh crocodiles.
• Several lakes (e.g., Tadoba Lake, Erai Dam) serve as perennial water sources and habitat for aquatic life.
• Genetic Diversity: Source of tigers for translocation projects, enhancing diversity in other reserves like Similipal.

About Tigers:

• Scientific Name: Panthera tigris
• IUCN Status: Endangered.
• CITES Status: Listed in Appendix I (strictest protection).
• Tiger Population in India: India is home to 75% of the world’s tiger population.
• 2022-23 Tiger Census: Recorded 3,167 tigers.
• States with the highest tiger populations: Madhya Pradesh > Karnataka > Uttarakhand.
• India has 55 Tiger Reserves (as of June 2024) under Project Tiger, covering 75,800 sq km.
• Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand): Oldest reserve and reserve with highest tiger density.
• Sundarbans (West Bengal): Only reserve with Royal Bengal Tigers adapted to mangroves.
• National Symbol: Declared the National Animal of India in 1973, replacing the lion.
• Project Tiger (1973): Launched to reverse the decline in tiger population. Funded and managed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• NTCA: Established in 2005 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Oversees Project Tiger and policy implementation.
• Global Tiger Forum (GTF): Intergovernmental body for tiger conservation.
• TX2 Goal: Global initiative by WWF to double wild tiger populations by 2022.
• M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers, Intensive Protection, and Ecological Status): Mobile-based monitoring tool for tiger reserves to enhance patrolling and protection.
• Keystone Species: Tigers regulate prey populations, maintaining ecological balance.
• Indicator Species: Their presence reflects the health of ecosystems.
• Largest Tiger Reserve in India: Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana).Bottom of Form

Black Tigers or Melanistic Tigers:

• Melanism is a genetic condition in which an increased production of melanin, a substance in the skin that produces hair, eye and skin pigmentation, results in black (or nearly black) skin, feathers or hair in an animal.
• Many royal Bengal tigers of Similipal belong to a unique lineage with higher-than-normal levels of melanin, which gives them black and yellow interspersed stripes on their coats.
• These tigers are not entirely black, and are therefore more accurately described as being pseudo-melanistic.
• As per the 2022 cycle of the All-India Tiger Estimation, 16 individuals were recorded at STR, out of which 10 were melanistic.
• What Makes Tigers (Pseudo) Melanistic?
  • According to research of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NBCS, Bengaluru), a single mutation in the gene Transmembrane Aminopeptidase Q (Taqpep) causes black tigers’ stripes to enlarge or spread into the yellow background.
  • Genetic analyses of other tiger populations in India and computer simulations suggest that the Similipal black tigers may have arisen from a very small founding population of tigers, and are inbred.