2 hrs ago
Tigress Released in Buxa as Three More Tigers Planned
A tigress was moved from Bihar to a wildlife reserve in West Bengal.
The reserve is called Buxa Tiger Reserve.
Officials want more tigers to live there.
Three additional tigers may be released within the next two months.
Cameras had already seen a tiger in the area.
Experts think that tiger may have come from Bhutan or Assam.
The larger project will also improve food, habitats and safe travel routes for wildlife.
Officials say these steps could help tigers and reduce conflicts with people.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released a three-year-old tigress in West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve.
The tigress was translocated from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve to help repopulate Buxa with big cats.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said three more tigers would be released in Buxa within two months.
Camera traps have recorded a tiger in Buxa, possibly one that wandered from Bhutan or Assam’s Manas National Park.
The five-year project includes improving prey availability, habitats and corridors while reducing human-wildlife conflict.
- Who
- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the tigress, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attending; the animal came from Valmiki Tiger Reserve.
- What
- A tigress was translocated and released as part of a plan to reintroduce and increase tigers in Buxa Tiger Reserve.
- Where
- Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district, West Bengal; the tigress came from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar.
- When
- The release took place on a Friday; one report dates it to October 2, while another associates it with World Wildlife Week 2026.
- Why
- The project aims to repopulate Buxa with tigers, improve prey and habitats, strengthen wildlife corridors and reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Government and Project Supporters
Political Criticism
Purpose of the translocation
Government and Project Supporters
Officials described the release as a major step toward augmenting Buxa’s tiger population and implementing a broader conservation project.
Political Criticism
The reports do not identify a substantive wildlife-policy objection to the translocation itself.
Previous Bengal government’s record
Government and Project Supporters
Suvendu Adhikari credited cooperation between Bihar and Bengal officials and said the translocation was carried out smoothly.
Political Criticism
Adhikari alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress government in Bengal lacked interest in wildlife conservation and focused instead on disputes with the Centre.
Key facts
- Animal released
- A three-year-old tigress, identified by the environment minister as T138
- Source reserve
- Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar
- Release location
- Buxa Tiger Reserve, Alipurduar district, West Bengal
- Additional releases
- Three more tigers are planned within the next two months
- Project period
- Financial years 2023-24 through 2027-28
- Project measures
- Improving prey availability, developing habitats, strengthening wildlife corridors and reducing human-wildlife conflict
- Reported timing discrepancy
- One report says October 2, while another links the release to World Wildlife Week 2026
Quotes
Bhupender Yadav
Union Environment Minister who released the tigress in Buxa Tiger Reserve
“Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for landscape conservation and species protection, today we have fulfilled the significant promise to reintroduce a tiger in Buxa. T138 has been brought from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar to Buxa.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
Related news
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Bengal Plans Tigress Relocation to Revive Buxa Tiger Population
Buxa Tiger Reserve Restricts Tourists Ahead of Tigress Reintroduction
New Tigress Settles Into Buxa Ahead of Wild Release
