Three-year-old tigress to be returned to Buxa Tiger Reserve before Diwali
Forest departments of Assam and West Bengal plan to capture the animal from Raimona National Park to prevent human-wildlife conflict.
The forest departments of Assam and West Bengal plan to capture a three-year-old tigress from Assam’s Raimona National Park and return her to West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve before Diwali, according to Urban Acres.
A high-level meeting was held at Raimona National Park in Kokrajhar district on Friday to discuss the animal's movement towards Narayanpur village, located about 7km from the forest area. Bengal forest minister Manoj Oraon said the departments have jointly decided to capture the tigress and release her back in the Buxa Tiger Reserve.
Oraon stated that the Bengal forest department has requested permission from the National Tiger Conservation Authority to capture the animal. Officials expect the operation to start within three to four days once clearance is received, which Oraon said is expected within 24 hours.
The capture method will be decided by the NTCA and may involve using nets or tranquilising the tigress. Equipment including tranquilising guns, large nets, a water-spraying machine, and a specialised forest vehicle have been moved to Raimona.
The tigress, which was moved from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve in late September and released into Buxa on October 2, is being monitored by the Assam forest department, Buxa Tiger Reserve, the Wildlife Institute of India, and the NTCA via a radio collar.
Assam additional principal chief conservator of forests Sonali Ghosh suggested the young tigress may have been chased by a male tiger, though officials noted the movement between the two protected areas is not unusual as they form part of the same landscape.