A tigress relocated to West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve has crossed into Assam and moved between forest villages, prompting the forest departments of both states to intensify tracking and consider tranquilising and bringing her back if she moves closer to human settlements.
The three-year-old tigress, identified as T-138, has been monitored near villages in Kokrajhar district for the past six days. According to officials cited by The Indian Express, she has killed three domesticated pigs and four piglets after moving through the area. She later crossed the Janali river in the Gurufela area and moved towards Narayanpur village in the Gossaigaon subdivision.
The Bengal Forest Department has not taken a final decision on tranquilising the animal. Forest Minister Manoj Oraon told The Indian Express that he would visit Assam and meet officials from both states. “No decision has been taken yet on tranquilising it and bringing it back. But our teams are ready. We are tracking the tigress,” he said.
Tracking operations were complicated after the radio-collar fitted to T-138 stopped transmitting for nearly 24 hours on Thursday. Teams from the Assam and Bengal forest departments scanned the area before receiving fresh signals on Friday afternoon. Oraon said signal loss can occur when the animal is in water or certain forest zones, but maintained that officials knew its location.
A senior Raimona National Park official said the tigress was first located near Hatigarh forest village before moving approximately 30 km to Narayanpur. She is currently inside a bamboo grove near the village, officials said. Forest teams from both states are tracking her movement.
Residents have been informed about the animal’s presence through awareness campaigns and public announcements. Officials have advised villagers not to enter the area where the tigress is located and to remain indoors after dark. The initial attacks involved domesticated pigs, which the tigress reportedly could not eat because villagers were alerted.
T-138 was moved to Buxa Tiger Reserve as part of West Bengal’s first tiger relocation project. She was tranquilised and caged at Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve before being flown to Hasimara Air Force Station in Alipurduar on September 30. She was subsequently taken to the Rajabhatkhawa forest area within Buxa.
The relocation was intended to begin a phased effort to revive the tiger population in Buxa, a protected forest covering around 760 sq km in Alipurduar district. The Union Environment Ministry has identified habitat degradation, changes in land use and reduced prey availability as factors that have affected the reserve’s ability to sustain a resident tiger population.
The latest incident has placed the operational challenges of relocating a large carnivore across administrative boundaries in focus. The immediate response now depends on continued radio tracking, coordination between Assam and Bengal officials, and the decision on whether the tigress can be monitored in place or must be retrieved. Officials from both states are continuing efforts to locate and manage her movement.
