West Bengal’s first tiger relocation project began on Wednesday with the arrival of a three-year-old Royal Bengal tigress at Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve, prompting a four-day suspension of tourism activities inside the reserve.
The tranquilised tigress was transported in a cage on a military cargo aircraft to Hasimara Air Force Station. Forest officials and veterinarians conducted a health check before moving the animal to a one-acre special soft enclosure in the Rajabhatkhawa forest area within Buxa Tiger Reserve.
Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon described the relocation as “historic for Bengal” and said the project was being undertaken because Buxa had had no tigers for years. The department plans to observe the tigress’s health, movement and behaviour before releasing her into the reserve, according to the minister.
The tigress is expected to be moved to a larger 2.2-hectare soft enclosure on October 2, when Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will officially launch the project, the report said. Forest officials will monitor the animal through CCTV cameras installed at different points in the enclosure. The minister said the tigress would have no human contact and would be able to hunt deer within the enclosure as she adjusts to the forest environment.
The animal will also be fitted with a radio collar. The forest department intends to eventually establish a breeding unit in Buxa comprising one tiger and two tigresses, but Oraon said the immediate priority was to monitor the relocated tigress through a “time-consuming scientific process”.
To secure the release operation, all tourism activities in Buxa Tiger Reserve have been suspended from September 30 to October 3. The closure covers jeep safaris, day visits and overnight stays inside the forest. Tourist entry has also been prohibited beyond the Rajabhatkhawa checkpost during this period.
The temporary tourism restrictions form part of wider measures to protect the reserve’s core tiger corridors and create an undisturbed habitat. The forest department has previously relocated 242 households from core villages, including Bhutia Basti and Gangutia Basti, to support habitat protection and expand the prey base.
Buxa Tiger Reserve is a protected forest and national park spread across approximately 760 square kilometres in Alipurduar district. The project’s next formal milestone is the planned transfer of the tigress to the larger enclosure on October 2, followed by continued monitoring before any release into the wider reserve.
