Assam among two states to send tigers to West Bengal's Buxa reserve

Assam is among the two states from which West Bengal plans to source tigers for relocation to the Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district by the end of November, as part of efforts to strengthen its dwindling tiger population.

West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Oraon said on November 11 that two more tigers would be brought to the reserve from Assam and Bihar. The relocation is aimed at boosting the number of resident big cats in Buxa.

The announcement comes amid renewed attention on the movement of a tigress recently relocated to the reserve, which has twice moved out of its designated enclosure.

Addressing concerns over the animal's latest escape, Oraon said the tigress remained within the core area of the reserve and was being tracked through a radio collar. According to the minister, it was moving in a forest area around five to seven kilometres from the enclosure.

He said the tigress was accustomed to moving freely in the forest and was not comfortable being confined to a fenced enclosure. All necessary measures were being taken under the supervision of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), he added.

The tigress was initially brought to Buxa from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve on October 2. It later crossed into Assam, prompting forest officials to launch an operation to track and capture it.

A team of forest personnel eventually tranquilised the animal and brought it back to Buxa on November 4. It was subsequently placed in a 2.2-hectare enclosure but escaped again by digging a passage underneath the iron fencing.

The proposed relocation of two more tigers, including one from Assam, is part of West Bengal's efforts to strengthen the tiger population in Buxa.