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Bhubaneswar: Tigress Zeenat, which escaped from Similipal National Park and roamed across Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand, is now suspected to be pregnant, a senior forest department official said. Captured in Bankura district of West Bengal after a dramatic 23-day journey through three States, Zeenat was brought back to Similipal and kept in a soft enclosure from January 1, where she was observed for several weeks. "She was found fit and healthy during her stay in the enclosure. On April 17, Zeenat was released into the wild," the official said. "Zeenat, even during her stay in a large enclosure, showed signs of estrus towards a wild male tiger (T12). Taking this opportunity, the tigress was released from the enclosure. Mating with T12 was recorded on thermal cameras installed at Jamuna meadow in the second week of May," the official said. Since her release, Zeenat has been moving inside the core area of STR and hunting natural prey such as cheetal, sambar and wild boar. "The tigress is being monitored 24 hours by tracking teams. Each team consists of 4 persons. It is also being monitored using satellite-based GPS," he said. "She has stopped mating and has isolated herself -- both strong indicators of pregnancy. Given that the gestation period in tigers ranges from 105 to 120 days, we expect Zeenat to give birth by August or early September," the official said. Zeenat was brought to Similipal from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra as part of tiger supplementation project. She escaped from STR on December 7 and roamed around three States before being captured in West Bengal's Bankura after 23 days. According to a research by Uma Ramakrishnan of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, in 2021, the population of tigers inside Similipal is genetically isolated and inbreeding is taking place within the reserve. To counter this trend, it was proposed to translocate tigers from the central Indian landscape to STR, the official added. Although the tiger population in Similipal has been increasing at about 18 per cent annually since 2014, nearly 50 per cent of them display pseudo-melanistic coat colour, indicating high inbreeding, he said.
Bhubaneswar: Zeenat, the three-year-old tigress from Maharashtra brought to Odisha's Similipal last year under translocation project, is believed to be pregnant after mating with a melanistic male tiger named T-12 Mahabal in May this year. If her pregnancy is confirmed, Zeenat would deliver cubs around August or September this year, said Prem Kumar Jha, Odisha's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife). Love blossomed after Zeenat was released into the wild in April this year. She made the forests between Yamunagarh and Gudugudia in Similipal her new home. In May, she came across a r ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday reacted to his cryptic bird post, apparently directed towards the party's top leadership. Tharoor dismissed to talk about his reported rift with the grand old party publicly, and said that if there were issues to discuss, they would be "discussed privately"."I am not going to get into political issues here. If there are issues to discuss, they would be discussed privately, and when the time comes, I shall do so," he said speaking to reporters at an event in Ahmedabad.Tharoor's growing rift with the Congress Party has come into sharper focus fol ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the state police on Tuesday said it has arrested two accused wanted in several bomb blasts and communal murder cases after being on the run for over 25 years. The key accused among the two is Abubacker Siddique of Nagore. He is allegedly involved in the attempt to plant a pipe-bomb during the rath yatra of former home minister LK Advani in Madurai in 2011, among others. Other cases he is allegedly involved include the bomb blast at Hindu Munnani office in 1995 in Chennai, an explosion in Nagore the same year, and coordinated planting of bo ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: A heartening chapter is unfolding deep within the emerald wilderness of Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha, where a Royal Bengal tigress named Zeenat, originally from Maharashtra, is believed to be carrying a new generation of cubs -- a milestone that could reshape the future of the region's famed tiger population. Brought to Similipal in 2023 as part of a bold genetic diversification project, Zeenat was tasked with an extraordinary mission: to infuse new bloodlines into a population long shadowed by the risks of inbreeding, particularly among Similipal's rare melanistic (black-co ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): Sneha Debnath, a 19-year-old girl from Sabroom in South Tripura district, reportedly went missing in the national capital. Following this, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha gave necessary instructions to the police to take immediate and appropriate action on the matter. Also Read | Trump Announces 30% Tariffs on EU Goods as Trade Talks Stall. In a statement posted on its official social media account, the Tripura Chief Minister's Office stated, "The report of Miss Sneha Debnath, a resident of Sabroom, who has reportedly gone missing in New Delhi, has come t ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jun 27 (PTI) The discovery of a seemingly stale carcass of a cow in Hugyam forest range in Mahadeshwara Hills on Friday strengthens the doubt that the death of a tigress and her four cubs could be due to poisoning, officials said. These five tigers were found dead in this forest on Thursday. It is suspected that the miscreants had poisoned the cow, and after eating it, the tigress and its cubs might have died. "Either the bovine was poisoned before being left in the forest, or the owner of the cattle, after spotting the dead cow, would have spread poison on its body, which the ti ...Read More >
RANCHI/SILLI/PURULIA/KOLKATA: "Bhagwan Krishna ne aaj bacha liya (Lord Krishna has saved us today)," said farmer Puran Chand Mahto (55) of Mardu village in Ranchi district's Silli block, still unable to believe his luck at being alive to tell the tale of how he and his family - his three daughters and a relative, who is a minor - slept peacefully while a tiger silently crouched in a corner of the same room.Around 4.30am Wednesday, Puran was getting ready for the day. As he stepped out of his thre ...Read More >
Pune: Passengers on board a Goa to Pune SpiceJet flight (SG-1080) had a scare on Tuesday evening when a window panel was found dislodged while the plane was mid-air.The airline played down the incident, saying the window part that had come off was "a non-structural trim component, fitted onto the window for the purpose of shade".But a person on board the plane -- a Bombardier Q400 -- told TOI the incident triggered anxiety among the passengers. "Two to three layers of the window panel just came off," said Aatish Mishra, the passenger."There was no depressurization, but this shouldn't have happ ...Read More >
Aizawl, Sept 30 (PTI) Wild boars died in Mizoram's Kolasib district due to African Swine Fever (ASF), an official said on Tuesday. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department's Deputy Director Esther Lalzoliani said the highly decomposed carcasses of wild boar were spotted by locals in the jungle near Saipum village earlier this month. Locals then informed the department, which sent a team to the village to collect samples, she said. "The bone marrow of the wild boars was tested by the department, and they were found to be positive for ASF. The bone marrow samples were also sent to the Colle ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Nandankanan Zoological Park on Saturday night welcomed two tiger cubs born to white tigress Mousumi, marking a significant milestone in the zoo's conservation breeding programme. The cubs were born in enclosure 28 (B), with the first delivery at 9.15 pm and the second at 11.30 pm.As per initial observations, one cub appeared to be normal in colour while the other was white, though their sex remains undetermined. The cubs are the result of successful mating in late Feb between Mousumi and Rajesh, a normal-coloured tiger.Both parent tigers were born at Nandankanan, with Mousumi born ...Read More >
Kozhikode: The Kerala government's draft notification allowing the shooting of violent wild animals has brought great relief for residents of Chakkittapara gram panchayat. Residents of 10 wards of the panchayat have suffered the most in man-animal conflicts. Panchayat president K Sunil said the government's draft notification is a reflection of the bold resolution passed by the gram panchayat. Chakkittapara's Struggle For the last one-and-a-half decades, people from the highland regions have been struggling with frequent wild animal attacks. Unable to address the issue, Chakkittapara pancha ...Read More >
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a growing sign of increased human-snake interaction, the state has recorded 494 king cobra rescues from human-inhabited areas over the past five years. They had either strayed into homes, plantations or backyards and were rescued without harm and released back into forests. According to district-wise records from the forest department, Ernakulam reported the most rescues at 70, followed by Wayanad (68) and Kannur (61). At the bottom of the list are Alappuzha (2), Thiruvananthapuram (11) and Malappuram (17). While 148 incidents were reported in 2024, the number stood at ...Read More >
BHOPAL: Nabha, an 8-year-old female cheetah brought from Namibia, died at Kuno National Park on Saturday.Foresters said the animal sustained serious injuries, likely during a hunting attempt inside her soft-release enclosure last week. It suffered fractures in the left ulna and fibula along with some other injuries.Despite receiving treatment for a week, the cheetah succumbed to injuries. A postmortem report is awaited for further details.With Nabha's death, the cheetah population at Kuno now stands at 26, comprising 9 adults (6 females and 3 males) and 17 Indian-born cubs. According to forest ...Read More >
Odisha's Forest Department has commenced the All India Tiger Estimation-2026 at Similipal Tiger Reserve. This initiative involves a detailed two-phase assessment starting with surveys and culminating in camera trapping. Phase-I focuses on sign and transect surveys, while Phase-II deploys camera traps to gather further data. In a significant move for wildlife conservation, Odisha's Forest Department inaugurated the All India Tiger Estimation-2026 at the Similipal Tiger Reserve. The initiative aim ...Read More >
MYSURU/BENGALURU: A tigress and her four cubs were found dead on Thursday in Hoogyam forest range of Karnataka's Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, in what officials called the state's worst single-day tiger death toll at a single location. Preliminary suspicion: poisoning.Forest officials said that the tigress had killed a cow days earlier. Poison is believed to have been laced into the carcass - bait that may have killed the tigress and her cubs after they fed on it. An autopsy is scheduled Friday to confirm the cause.State forest minister Eshwar Khandre called the deaths "unnatural ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: As serious concerns grows over the rising human-animal conflicts near the forest fringes across central Kerala districts mainly the hinterlands of Ernakulam and across Idukki and Kottayam, the state forest department is all set to launch a mobile application today enabling public to report incidents and sightings to the forest department office. Even though there are locally prepared applications in certain areas of Wayanad which helps monitoring the wild animals, it is confined to few regions of the state. Named as 'Wildwatch', the App will enable near real-time reporting ...Read More >
Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 12 (ANI): An eight-year-old Namibian female cheetah, Nabha, died at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Saturday, following injuries sustained approximately a week ago, according to an official release. The cheetah was reportedly injured during a possible hunting attempt inside a soft-release boma (enclosure) at KNP. Despite undergoing treatment, she succumbed to her injuries, the statement said. Also Read | ISRO Inches Close to Gaganyaan Mission With Successful Development of Key Engine. A soft release boma is an enclosure ...Read More >
Pune, July 15 (PTI) As many as 14 deer have died over the last four to five days in the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Pune due to unidentified reasons, officials said on Tuesday. A Pune Municipal Corporation veterinary officer said authorities are examining various possibilities including infection through the deer feed to identify the cause behind the fatalities. He said medical reports are awaited to understand the details. "Bucks are drying every day since the last four to five days. On T ...Read More >
BENGALURU: Studies have shown that what appear to be bewildering colours in the wild are actually defenses against predators and prey. A global experiment study report published in the research journal Science on Thursday explains the reasons for it. The field study titled "The evolution and ecology of multiple anti-predator defense" -- also published in the Oxford Academic journal- Journal of Evolutionary Biology -- states that studies indicate that anti-predator strategy is more effective in helping insects survive potential predatory attacks. Along with global researchers, the Indian work ...Read More >
BENGALURU: Forest, environment and ecology department minister Eshwar B Khandre on Tuesday sought a report from the State Forest Department on the death of 82 tigers that took place in Karnataka in last five and half years. Speaking to media, he said, directions have been issued to submit a report of the tiger deaths within 10 days including natural or unnatural, exact cause of death. The report will also include whether the investigation conducted, report received, cases filed or action taken. The minister also sought for details if the carcass was intact or were any body parts missing, like ...Read More >
Lucknow: A 26-year-old farmer was killed by a tiger near Katarniaghat Wildlife Division in Bahraich on Monday. The attack has triggered fear among villagers as human-wildlife conflicts continue to rise in the region.According to locals, the victim, Indal, a resident of Harkhapur village under Murtiha police station limits, stepped out of his home around 8 pm to relieve himself in the fields, just 200 metres away from his house. A tiger lurking in the bushes pounced on him, dragged him into the forest, and fatally mauled him.Family members and villagers, alarmed by his cries, rushed to the spot ...Read More >
Chandrapur: Barely a week after a farmer was killed by a tiger in Dhaba forest range, another fatal attack has deepened fears among villagers. A 45-year-old woman, identified as Alka Pendor of Ganesh Pipri village in Gondpipri taluka, was mauled to death by a tiger on Sunday evening while working in an agricultural field.According to forest department sources, the incident occurred when Pendor, a farm labourer, was tending crops in a field near the village. The tiger pounced on her, killing her on the spot. Forest officials rushed to the scene after receiving information and later shifted the ...Read More >
While the cotton crop ready for harvesting, venturing out into fields to harvest cotton balls has become a risky affair, with more than one tiger on the prowl Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Cotton farmers in many villages in the district are caught in a do or die situation. While their cotton crop is ready for harvesting, venturing out into the fields to harvest the cotton balls has become a risky affair, with more than one tiger on the prowl. One woman already lost her life to a tiger, while another farmer is still in hospital after a narrow escape from the jaws of a big cat. During the winter seas ...Read More >
New Delhi: The famous orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala of Mumbai who operated on Rishabh Pant after a serious road accident in December of 2022 feels that although the somersaults by Pant are being done rather well, it is an unnecessary event. During his path back home in Roorkee in December 2022, Rishabh Pant was involved in an accident with his luxury car hitting a divider after which he sustained various injuries. He had been treated in Dehradun and then he was flown to Mumbai. Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala conducted a ligament reconstruction surgery on his right knee in the Kokilaben Dhi ...Read More >
Nabha, an eight-year-old female cheetah translocated from Namibia, died from injuries sustained during a hunting attempt at Kuno National Park. This loss reduces the park's cheetah population to 26, comprising nine adults and seventeen cubs. Despite this setback, project authorities report that the remaining cheetahs are healthy and adapting well to their environment. An eight-year-old female cheetah named Nabha, brought from Namibia under India's ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme, died ...Read More >
Researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad , have identified a mammalian protein, Cnpy1 (Canopy1), that is essential for the survival and function of vomeronasal sensory neurons in mice. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , the study shows that Cnpy1 acts as a specialized endoplasmic‑reticulum‑associated factor required to maintain functional receptor complexes in these neurons, allowing them to thrive in an unusual ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: First phase of the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE)-2026 started across 103 beats of Similipal Tiger Reserve on Saturday. As many as 103 survey groups are working to gather data regarding carnivore and ungulate density. Birds will also be counted in this phase that ends on Nov 22."As per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol, the estimation will be carried out in two phases at the tiger reserve level. In phase I, which will run for three days, carnivores and mega herbivores sign surveys will be conducted. The next four days will be dedicated to drawing transec ...Read More >
BENGALURU: The Bengaluru Urban forest officers have busted a poaching racket, arrested one and seized the carcasses of four spotted deer, a wild boar, and 74 kg of deer meat. The accused allegedly killed nine deer and a wild boar for the illegal wildlife meat trade. The officials said that based on a tip-off, a team led by the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) along with officers from the Kaggalipura range intercepted two cars near Nice Road Junction on Bannerghatta Road late Saturday night. While three suspects managed to flee, one accused, identified as Pratap, 31, was na ...Read More >
Gurgaon: The city, which is growing at a rapid pace, stands at a crossroads where it can learn from several innovative urban management practices of other Indian cities to tackle its own challenges. At the national conference of urban local bodies in Manesar on Thursday, mayors and municipal corporations from across the country shared their strategies, offering valuable insights for Gurgaon to consider.Surat generates Rs 140 crore from selling sewage-treated water to industries and has introduced artificial intelligence to detect waste dumping; Indore segregates waste into six streams at sourc ...Read More >
The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) has been evaluated as a distinct entity by the IUCN, potentially elevating its conservation status. With an estimated 3,093 individuals remaining, primarily in India, the species faces significant threats from habitat loss and human conflict, necessitating urgent conservation action. In a landmark step for wildlife taxonomy, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has for the first time evaluated the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) as a ...Read More >