The Bengal and Assam forest departments have decided to capture and return a three-year-old tigress from Assam’s Raimona National Park to West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve before Diwali, after the animal moved close to Narayanpur village and raised concerns about a possible human-wildlife conflict.
A high-level meeting on the tigress was held at Raimona National Park in Kokrajhar district on Friday. Bengal forest minister Manoj Oraon, Buxa Tiger Reserve field director Kumar Vimal, Assam additional principal chief conservator of forests Sonali Ghosh and Kachugaon divisional forest officer Mustafa Ali attended the meeting.
Officials discussed the tigress’s movement towards Narayanpur, which is around 7km from the Raimona forest area. The approach of Diwali has added urgency to the operation because firecrackers could disturb the animal and increase the risk of conflict near human habitation.
“The forest departments of Bengal and Assam have jointly decided to capture the tigress, bring it back to the BTR and release her there,” Oraon said. He added that the Bengal forest department had sought permission from the National Tiger Conservation Authority to capture the animal.
Officials expect the operation to begin within three to four days once the clearance is received. Oraon said the necessary approval was expected within 24 hours, but the final capture method would be decided by the NTCA. The options under discussion include using nets or tranquilising the tigress.
The animal’s movement is being monitored jointly by the Assam forest department, Buxa Tiger Reserve, the Wildlife Institute of India and the NTCA. A radio collar fitted around the tigress’s neck is transmitting signals that are helping officials track her location.
A specialised forest vehicle, tranquillising guns, related equipment, large nets and a water-spraying machine have already been moved to Raimona for the operation. The equipment is intended to support the capture effort while officials monitor the tigress’s proximity to the village.
Officials said the movement between Buxa and Raimona was not unusual because the two protected areas form part of the same landscape. “Wild animals are unaware of state boundaries. The tigress was simply exploring her territory,” Oraon said.
Sonali Ghosh said Raimona has more tigresses than tigers and suggested that the young animal may have been chased by a male tiger, forcing her to move towards Narayanpur. The explanation remains an official assessment of the animal’s movement rather than a confirmed account of what caused it to leave the reserve.
The tigress was brought from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve in late September and released into Buxa on October 2. Forest officials now plan to return her to Buxa after securing the NTCA’s approval and completing the capture operation.
