Bhubaneswar, July 3 -- https://images.odishatv.in/uploadimage/library/16_9/16_9_0/recent_photo_1751520680.webp
The 3.5-year-old Royal Bengal Tigress Zeenat, translocated to Similipal Tiger Reservein Odisha from Maharashtra, as part of a genetic diversification initiative, has successfully mated with a resident melanistic tiger.
Officials now believe she could give birth by the end of August or early September 2025, a development seen as a key milestone in the Forest Department's effort to reduce inbreeding among Similipal's Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) population.
After Zeenat's introduction to Similipal forest, she had strayed and travelled to forests of Jharkhnad and West Bengal. This development had left Odisha Forest officials in a bind....