Kolkata, Oct 26 The tigress brought from Bihar and released into West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve earlier this month has moved into Assam’s Raimona National Park within three weeks, apparently in search of a territory to settle in, a senior forest official said on Monday.
The tigress was released in the Buxa forest on October 2 in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Union Forest and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, as part of efforts to reintroduce tigers into the reserve after years of absence.
“The female Royal Bengal tiger, aged around 3 years, crossed the Sankosh river on Friday and entered the Raimona forest area in Assam. The movement is being tracked through the radio collar fitted on the animal,” the official said.
West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Oraon told PTI the female tiger might be exploring a wider territory to mark its area rather than simply moving within Buxa.
“The tigress has moved towards Assam through a specific corridor. It is using the corridor to mark its own territory,” Oraon said.
The minister said the movement was the animal’s natural territorial behaviour and its search for a suitable habitat.
“We are now monitoring the tigress’s movements to determine whether it will remain in Raimona, but there is no immediate plan to bring it back with the help of tranqilisers,” he said.
Buxa was without a tiger for nearly a decade before a tiger was spotted there in 2021. One or two more sightings were reported over the following years, including January 2026, but there was no resident tiger.
The West Bengal forest department subsequently initiated efforts to establish a permanent tiger population in Buxa. The tigress brought from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve was released on October 2 but is now exploring the adjacent forest corridor with Assam.
“We are allowing it to settle down,” Oraon added.
“To a question about tranquilising equipment brought to Raimona from Buxa as a precautionary measure, Oraon said, “We don’t have any such plans and are watching its movement through fitted radio collar signals.
(PTI News)
