Zeenat and Her Cubs Vanish from Camera Traps in Similipal – Only Radio Signals Remain In Simlipal Tiger Reserve, tigress Zeenat who was relocated from the forests of Central India for genetic improvement gave birth to four cubs earlier this year. The cubs were born in the South Simlipal area, which has relatively higher tiger density. A camera-trap photograph of this tigress went viral in June. In the image, she was carrying one tiny cub in her mouth while the remaining three cubs followed closely at her heels. Since then, not a single photograph of this tigress has been captured on any camera trap, and forest staff still have no update on the condition of the cubs. At present, signals from this radio-collared tigress are being received from North Simlipal an area where tiger numbers are highly scattered and extremely low. According to the radio-signal updates, the tigress is moving within a very small area of roughly 20 square kilometres. Such restricted movement can be considered an indication that cubs may still be with the mother. Despite the severe shortage of wild herbivores (prey base) in the area where she is ranging, no incidents of domestic cattle kills have so far come to the notice of the forest department. The tracking team has been conducting continuous patrols, yet no evidence of the presence of the tigress or her cubs has been found. Forest staff say that rain washes away the footprints of the tigress and her cubs, and the capacity of camera traps to capture images is also badly affected during the monsoon. As of now, the radio signal remains the only means by which it can be said that the tigress is safe wherever she is provided the signal data is genuine. In the last 30 years, the deterioration of Simlipal Tiger Reserve has been so severe that few parks have suffered a comparable fate. This park was once known for its strong corridor connectivity. Today, inbreeding among tigers has reached such an extreme level that changes in their gene pool have become visible melanistic tigers being a clear example of this degraded gene pool. We hope that tigress Zeenat, who was released with the objective of strengthening the gene pool of tigers, and her cubs are safe and that the forest department is not lying about this matter in any way. #bigcatsafety #zeenattigress #simlipaltigerreserve #melanistictigers #WildlifeConservation