Guwahati: A tigress brought from Bihar and released into West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve earlier this month has crossed into Raimona National Park within three weeks, with forest officials tracking its movements through a radio collar.
The approximately three-year-old Royal Bengal tigress crossed the Sankosh river on Friday and entered the forest area of Raimona National Park. The tigress was released into Buxa Tiger Reserve on 2nd October in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav. The move was part of efforts to re-establish a resident tiger population in the reserve.
West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Oraon said the tigress might be exploring a wider territory in search of suitable habitat and marking its territory. He added that it had moved towards Assam through a specific wildlife corridor.
Its movements are being monitored through signals from the radio collar. Oraon also clarified that there were no plans to tranquilise the animal and transport it back to Buxa at this stage.
The development highlights the ecological connectivity between Buxa Tiger Reserve and Raimona National Park, which form part of a wider forest landscape spanning state and international boundaries.