Buxa tigress strays into Assam's Raimona; Bengal minister to visit

A tigress released into West Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve earlier this month as part of a plan to bring tigers back to that forest has crossed into Assam and is now roaming the Raimona National Park area in Kokrajhar district.

West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Oraon said his department is working with the Assam government on the animal's safe return, and that he would travel to Assam on Saturday to review the search and tracking operation.

Signals lost, then found

The three-year-old tigress had worried officials when her satellite radio collar stopped sending signals for more than 32 hours. The signals were picked up again at around 11 am on Friday, The Times of India reported, and Oraon said she was "moving south".

According to that report, the tigress crossed the Janali river at the edge of Raimona and moved towards Narayanpur revenue village, about 18 km from Gosaigaon town and close to National Highway 27. She is said to have killed a domestic pig there and dragged it into nearby forest.

Forest staff from both states, Sashastra Seema Bal personnel and drones were involved in the search that began on Thursday night, a local eco-tourism society official said.

Why she was in Buxa

The tigress was brought from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve and released in Buxa, in Alipurduar district, on October 2, in the presence of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Buxa had been without a resident tiger population for years, and the release was meant to help re-establish one.

Officials said she crossed the Sankosh river, which forms part of the boundary between the two states, into Raimona, apparently searching for suitable territory.

No harm, says Bengal

Asked whether tranquilliser guns might be used, Oraon said the department would not do anything to harm the animal physically and was exploring all options for a smooth return. He has also been quoted as saying she is moving freely and hunting, and would be captured and taken back to Buxa only if that is considered necessary.

Raimona, notified as a national park in 2021, adjoins Buxa and Bhutan's Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, forming a continuous forest landscape that wild animals often cross.