Jamuna the Tigress: Boosting Genetic Diversity in Similipal Reserve

Jamuna, a tigress from Maharashtra's Tadba project, is thriving in Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve. The healthy two-and-a-half-year-old recently hunted a wild boar and is being observed in an enclosure. Her introduction is expected to aid the region's tiger genetic diversity, especially among its unique black tigers.

Authorities at the Similipal Tiger Reserve have confirmed that Jamuna, a tigress recently introduced from Maharashtra, is healthy and thriving. The two-and-a-half-year-old feline demonstrated her vitality by hunting a wild boar within her enclosure.

Brought from the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve to Odisha's Mayurbhanj district at the end of October, Jamuna is under close observation before being released fully into the wild. The translocation project is sanctioned by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Officials hope Jamuna will contribute to controlling the genetic diversity of the region's growing tiger population, particularly among the well-known melanistic tigers of the reserve.

(With inputs from agencies.)