Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Bihar Tigress Set for Buxa Release to Rebuild Tiger Population
Officials plan to bring a tigress from a zoo in Bihar to Buxa Tiger Reserve.
The release is scheduled for October 2.
The goal is to help rebuild the tiger population in the reserve.
The tigress will wear a radio collar so officials can follow her movements.
Five trained elephants will also help track her.
She will stay under close observation for about six months while she gets used to the forest.
Some residents from three forest villages will be relocated to reduce pressure on the reserve.
Students at 100 nearby schools and colleges will join clubs to learn about protecting tigers and nature.
A tigress from an undisclosed Bihar zoological park will be released into Buxa Tiger Reserve on October 2.
The release is expected to be attended by Suvendu Adhikari, Bhupender Yadav and forest officials.
The tigress will be radio-collared and monitored in the reserve’s core area for nearly six months.
Five trained forest-department elephants, known as kunkis, will help track the animal.
About 500 residents will be relocated, while tiger cub clubs will be created in 100 nearby educational institutions.
- Who
- A tigress from a Bihar zoological park, West Bengal forest officials and local students are involved; the release is expected to be attended by Suvendu Adhikari and Bhupender Yadav.
- What
- The tigress will be released into Buxa Tiger Reserve as part of a tiger-population augmentation programme.
- When
- The release is scheduled for October 2, followed by nearly six months of acclimatisation monitoring.
- Where
- Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district, Bengal; the tigress will come from a zoological park in Bihar.
- Why
- The programme aims to rebuild Buxa’s resident tiger population and develop longer-term local support for conservation.
- Release date
- October 2
- Source of tigress
- An undisclosed zoological park in Bihar
- Monitoring period
- Nearly six months in the reserve’s core area
- Tracking equipment
- A radio collar and five trained forest-department elephants
- Planned relocation
- Around 500 residents from three forest villages in the project area
- Education programme
- Tiger cub clubs in 100 educational institutions
- Student participants
- Students from Classes VIII to XII