After Zeenat, male tiger crosses borders to Dalma Hills

Jamshedpur: Just weeks after Zeenat, the wandering tigress from Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve, captivated wildlife enthusiasts by straying into Jharkhand’s Chakulia forest, another striped big cat has entered the scene—this time, a full-grown male tiger. The majestic predator has chosen Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary as his temporary domain, leaving forest officials both intrigued and on high alert.

The tiger’s presence was confirmed on New Year’s Eve, after a bullock was hunted down by the striped cat and a boy sighted the animal near the hunting spot. The news of tiger presence has sent ripples of alarm across the region.

“The pug marks clearly belong to a tiger,” confirmed District Forest Officer (DFO) Saba Alam.

He added that camera traps have been set to capture the elusive feline in action, but so far, the tiger has outmaneuvered the lenses, adding an aura of suspense to his arrival.

“We can confirm it’s a tiger, not a leopard,” Alam said, dismissing early speculations. “The kill pattern on the bullock carcass leaves no room for doubt. This is the work of a full-grown tiger,” the DFO added.

The tiger’s journey into Dalma remains a puzzle. Did he traverse the dense forests of West Bengal’s Purulia district, or is he another voyager from Simlipal, following in Zeenat’s pawprints? Zeenat, the three-year-old tigress translocated from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve to Odisha’s Simlipal, became a wildlife sensation after covering hundreds of kilometers and crossing three state borders including Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

As officials speculate on the tiger’s origins, they remain optimistic about his stay in Dalma. “Tigers are solitary by nature,” Alam explained. “They prefer to stay away from human activity and find solace in the wilderness. Dalma offers abundant prey, so there’s little risk of conflict.”

Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary is situated around the Dalma Hills and covers 195 square kilometers of area in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan districts.