Baripada: Call it a jungle romance or sheer instinct, one Royal Bengal tiger has trekked nearly 1,500 km across forests and state borders, finally padding into Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha.
His apparent destination? A tigress named Jinnat.
Forest officials say the 4-5-year-old male tiger began his journey from Chhattisgarh in August 2025, weaving through Sundargarh, Bamra-Gangpur, Deogarh and Keonjhar before reaching Similipal in December. Trap cameras confirmed his presence, and he has since lingered in the northern stretches of the reserve.
Jinnat, brought from Tadoba-Andhari in late 2024, has herself wandered through Jharkhand and West Bengal before settling back in Similipal. She is tracked by radio collar, while her suitor's movements are monitored via camera traps.
Officials believe the pair may once have shared the same central Indian landscape. The male's prolonged stay is being hailed as a sign that Similipal offers a welcoming habitat, perhaps even the perfect stage for a tiger love story.