Further tiger relocation to Buxa Tiger Reserve will begin only after two additional enclosures are built, the existing enclosure is reinforced and forest staff receive more training and field experience, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said on Friday.
The decision follows a fact-finding mission conducted after a tigress relocated from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve miscarried and later escaped from the enclosure at Buxa. The NTCA’s findings identified gaps in the enclosure, particularly near one of its two gates, where the tigress managed to squeeze through.
NTCA member secretary Sanjay Kumar Pathak said work to reinforce the existing enclosure had already started. “We have ordered the setting up of two more enclosures to house tigers before their reintroduction and reinforcement of the existing one, which had glitches. Meanwhile, the staff are gaining experience while tracking this tigress. The next phase will be taken up at an ideal time,” he said.
The fact-finding team found two foetuses inside the enclosure after the miscarriage on November 7, a day before the tigress escaped. Pathak said one foetus had been almost fully eaten by the tigress, while the other was recovered. Experts cited in the report said a tigress may consume a miscarried or dead foetus as an instinctive predator-avoidance response, while hormonal changes and stress linked to pregnancy loss may also influence such behaviour.
Initial findings showed that fencing wires were anchored to concrete foundations at some locations but fixed directly to the ground at others. Near one of the gates, the fastening was inadequate, creating a gap through which the tigress fled. Pathak clarified that she had not dug a burrow to escape.
The tigress remains within the limits of Buxa Tiger Reserve, according to the NTCA. Sources said a camera trap recorded her in the forest early on Thursday. Tracking efforts are continuing while the authority assesses the enclosure and the field response.
The NTCA has not fixed a date for bringing the next tiger to Buxa or identified the reserve from which it would be sourced. “The staff need training and infrastructure needs to be strengthened first,” Pathak said.
The episode has also prompted discussions on coordination across state and international boundaries. Assam forest officials have been asked to improve coordination with their counterparts in West Bengal. The NTCA is also in touch with Bhutan through the Global Tiger Forum and the International Big Cat Alliance.
The relocation programme is intended to support tiger reintroduction in Buxa, but further movement of animals will remain on hold until the required infrastructure and staff preparedness are in place. Asked whether disciplinary action would follow, Pathak said the exercise was “a fact-finding mission, not a fault-finding one” and that the probe was still underway.
