A tigress released in West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve earlier this month has crossed into neighbouring Assam, prompting Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon to plan a visit to discuss whether and how the animal can be brought back.
According to a report by Sangbad Pratidin, the tigress was brought from Bihar and released in Buxa on October 2. She remained in the reserve for about 24 days before moving into Assam. She is currently believed to be in Raimona National Park, which is about four kilometres from Buxa, the report said.
Oraon is expected to travel to Assam on Saturday to meet state government and forest department officials. The proposed discussions will focus on the tigress’s present location, the possibility of returning her to Buxa and measures that may be required if a similar movement occurs in the future.
“I am going to Assam tomorrow. We want to investigate the matter on the ground. Officials are already in Assam and I will also go. The Assam administration is helping us,” Oraon was quoted as saying.
The minister said the tigress was moving safely and hunting in the forest. “The tiger is moving around freely and hunting as well. There is no need to worry too much. If it is felt necessary, the tiger will be captured and released in Buxa,” he said, according to the report.
The movement has raised questions about the conditions that enabled the tigress to leave Buxa so soon after her release. The report did not provide details of the animal’s route, the tracking method being used or whether forest officials had identified a specific reason for the movement.
Buxa had remained without a resident tiger population for a long period. The West Bengal government subsequently began efforts to bring tigers back to the reserve and establish a breeding population. The tigress’s release on October 2 was carried out in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari, Union Environment and Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav and other ministers and officials, the report said.
The animal was initially seen spending time in Buxa after being released. By the end of the month, however, officials learned that she had moved out of the reserve and into Assam’s Raimona forest.
The proposed meeting between the two states is expected to address both the immediate question of the tigress’s location and the longer-term arrangements for managing animal movement across the inter-state forest landscape. Any decision on capture or relocation will depend on the assessment by forest officials and the outcome of the discussions in Assam.
