Tigress from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve to be introduced at Bengal’s Buxa on Oct 2

A three-year-old tigress was flown in from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve to West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve on Wednesday, nearly eight years after the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) reported no tigers in Buxa, as the state prepares to reintroduce the big cat on October 2.

This marks the first tiger reintroduction in the eastern state. Officials said plans were afoot and discussions were being held with other states to bring in at least six more tigers to introduce in BTR in the next two years.

“The tigress reached the Hasimara air force base around 6:40 am on Wednesday, from where she was taken to the BTR by road in a special animal transport vehicle. She will be released in the reserve’s core zone on October 2,” a senior official of the state forest department said.

The “Status of Tigers in India – 2018” published by the NTCA said that no tigers were recorded in three reserves in India, including Buxa, Dampa and Palamau.

“The report, however, also offered a ray of hope as it stated that tigers could be repopulated in BTR after restoration of the prey base. The planning started back then, and the tiger reintroduction is the culmination of eight years of effort,” another official said.

The official said that while tiger reserves like Corbett, Nagarhole and Bandipur registered very high chital densities of 71 per sq km, 24 per sq km and 51 per sq km respectively, the chital density in Buxa had dwindled to just around 5 per sq km.

Officials said that over the years, around 870 chital deer from various zoos and parks across the state were released in the BTR to increase the reserve’s prey base. Of the 12 villages, two were relocated.

“It was an uphill task. To maintain a healthy tiger population means the entire forest health needs to be healthy, starting from the forest, the prey base, water availability and least human interference,” a forest official said.

A former forest official said, “For tigers we needed more grasslands and not very dense forest cover which are mostly wooded forests. For this the canopy needs to be opened up so that sunlight can reach the ground and grasses can grow. This would in turn help bring back the herbivores and tigers would follow them.”

In December 2021, a tiger was spotted in the BTR after a gap of more than two decades. Created in 1983, the Buxa Tiger Reserve is contiguous with Phipsu Wildlife Sanctuary of Bhutan and Assam’s Manas National Park in the east. It serves as an international corridor for the migration of wild animals including tigers and elephants.

“The tigress has been radio-collared and will be monitored after it is released on October 2. Talks are being held with some states to bring in at least six more tigers and tigresses in the next two years,” said a senior official.

Tourism in the BTR has been suspended for four days starting from September 30.

West Bengal has a population of around 100 tigers in the Sunderbans in south Bengal.