From Bihar to Buxa: Bengal’s First Tiger Relocation Project Begins; 4-Day Tourism Curbs

Bengal has begun its first tiger relocation project with the arrival of a three-year-old Royal Bengal tigress at Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district. The tigress was brought from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve early Wednesday as part of an initiative to restore tigers in Buxa.

Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon described the relocation as a historic moment for Bengal, noting that Buxa Tiger Reserve has remained without tigers for several years. The project is aimed at gradually rebuilding a tiger population in the reserve through a carefully monitored and scientific relocation process.

The tigress was tranquilised and transported in a cage by a military cargo aircraft to Hasimara Air Force Station in Alipurduar. After reaching Bengal, veterinarians and forest officials conducted a health examination before moving the animal to a specially prepared one-acre soft enclosure in the Rajabhatkhawa forest area of Buxa Tiger Reserve.

The forest department plans to officially launch the next stage of the project on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti. The tigress will then be shifted to a larger 2.2-hectare soft enclosure, where she will be given time to adapt to her new surroundings before eventually being released into the wider tiger reserve.

Officials said the tigress will have minimal human contact during the adaptation period. CCTV cameras installed at different locations will be used to monitor her movement and behaviour. The enclosure has a sufficient deer population to provide natural prey, allowing the animal to gradually become accustomed to the environment.

The tigress will also be fitted with a radio collar so that forest officials can track her movements after she is released. According to the forest department, monitoring the animal's behaviour and movement will be an important part of determining the next steps in the relocation programme.

The long-term objective is to establish a breeding population of tigers in Buxa. The forest department has indicated that it eventually wants to create a unit consisting of one tiger and two tigresses. However, officials have stressed that this will be a gradual process and that the behaviour and adaptation of the relocated tigress will first need to be closely monitored.

The relocation also comes with temporary restrictions on tourism in parts of the reserve. The measures are intended to minimise human disturbance while the tigress settles into her new surroundings.

The project marks an important step in Bengal's efforts to strengthen tiger conservation and restore the species in Buxa Tiger Reserve. However, officials have emphasised that the process will take time and will depend on scientific monitoring, the animal's adaptation and its subsequent movement within the forest.