Tigress Released In Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve; Plans Afoot For Three More By End Of Year

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday released a tigress in the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal's Alipurduar district with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in attendance.

Addressing the event, Adhikari said three more tigers will be released in Buxa Tiger Reserve in the next two months.

The three-year-old tigress was brought from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve to populate the Buxa reserve with big cats. Although the reserve in Bengal did not have any big cats, camera traps have spotted a tiger, which experts believe had wandered into the region from either Bhutan or Assam's Manas National Park.

The release of the big cat into the Buxa reserve coincided with the start of World Wildlife Week, 2026.

In a post on X, Yadav said, "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."

He thanked the chief ministers of Bihar and Bengal "for their support in this successful reintroduction".

Adhikari thanked Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary for the smooth translocation of the tigress from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve to Buxa and alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress government in Bengal had no inclination to save wildlife as it only wanted to quarrel with the Centre.

Taking to X, he said the translocation of the tigress "marks the beginning of a transformative chapter in our mission to bring the royal roar back to Buxa and establish a thriving resident tiger population".

"Waving the green flag to watch this splendid tigress step confidently into her vast natural habitat was an unforgettable experience. This milestone is only the start; under our comprehensive ecological revival roadmap, further steps are underway to augment prey base, strengthen habitat corridors, and release more tigers in the coming months, boosting ecological balance and eco-tourism across Dooars," the chief minister said.

West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Oraon has described the translocation as a significant step towards augmenting tiger population in Buxa.

The translocation is part of a five-year project planned for financial years 2023-24 to 2027-28, officials said.

The Proposal for Tiger Augmentation and Soft Release of Tiger in Buxa Tiger Reserve envisages not only bringing tigers to the reserve but also improving prey availability, developing suitable habitats, strengthening wildlife corridors and reducing human-wildlife conflict.

At the event, Adhikari highlighted that Alipurduar is home to one-horned rhinos and beautiful tea gardens. "As I went to Jaldapara National Park, I named two newborn elephant calves and also inaugurated a rhino gallery at a tea estate in Alipurduar."

As part of the government's plans to turn the region into a tourist destination, 2,000 acres have been earmarked for Ecotourism.

The chief minister said his government will set up a district court in Alipurduar and pointed out that his government was committed to building medical colleges in Kalimpong, Balurghat, Alipurduar and Paschim Bardhaman.

At the event, the chief minister said his government has increased the festival bonus for tea garden workers to 20 per cent as against the 16 per cent they received under the previous dispensation.