Tiger reintroduction begins in Buxa Tiger Reserve with release of tigress

Buxa, West Bengal:- A new chapter in tiger conservation began in West Bengal on Saturday with the release of a tigress into Buxa Tiger Reserve, marking the first phase of a planned, science-based programme to restore a viable and self-sustaining tiger population in the historically important North Bengal landscape.

Tiger T138 has been reintroduced in Buxa after being translocated from Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar, marking an important step towards restoring the tiger in this historic landscape.

The release was carried out in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The initiative coincides with the beginning of Wildlife Week 2026.

In a social media post following the release, Yadav said the commitment to reintroduce tigers in Buxa had been fulfilled, attributing the initiative to the push for landscape conservation and species protection. He also thanked Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for their support.

Inspired by the vision of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji for landscape conservation and species protection, a significant milestone has been achieved in Buxa Tiger Reserve.

Tiger T138 has been reintroduced in Buxa after being translocated from Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar,… pic.twitter.com/fJJoXEVhFI

— MoEF&CC (@moefcc) October 2, 2026

Buxa Tiger Reserve, declared a tiger reserve in 1983, forms part of a larger ecological landscape connected with forests and protected areas in Bhutan and Assam. The area has historically been an important tiger habitat in North Bengal.

Over the years, however, habitat degradation and fragmentation, changes in land use and declining prey availability affected conditions necessary to sustain a resident tiger population. Buxa subsequently experienced a prolonged absence of a stable resident tiger population.

Efforts to restore the ecological foundations of the reserve have been underway for several years. The Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project, initiated by the West Bengal government with support from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has been implemented collaboratively since 2018.

The programme has focused on habitat restoration, prey-base augmentation, strengthening protection and monitoring, scientific assessment and capacity building.

More than 800 chital have been released to supplement the prey base, while around 380 hectares of grassland have been restored or converted over the past eight years. Officials said scientific monitoring has indicated a positive trend in prey abundance.

Long-term monitoring has also produced evidence of tiger movement through the wider landscape. Camera traps recorded tigers in Buxa in 2021, 2023 and 2026. An individual photographed in 2023 was subsequently matched with a tiger from Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam, indicating natural movement between adjoining tiger landscapes.

The latest reintroduction programme is intended to complement this natural recovery through planned and scientifically guided interventions.

The tigress released on Saturday was translocated from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar following assessments of ecological, veterinary and management parameters and in accordance with established protocols.

The animal will undergo intensive post-release monitoring. Officials will use telemetry, camera traps and field-based monitoring to track its movements, adaptation, health and behaviour.

The release is the first phase of a broader, adaptive recovery programme. Further tiger augmentation, where scientifically justified, will depend on factors including habitat and prey availability, protection preparedness, population viability, monitoring results and expert advice.

Officials said the objective is not simply to increase the number of tigers in Buxa, but to establish the ecological conditions required for the animals to breed and eventually form a viable and self-sustaining population.

Community participation is expected to remain a key component of the programme. The conservation effort has engaged 64 Eco-Development Committees and Joint Forest Management Committees, with a focus on community dialogue, livelihood opportunities, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and conservation-linked benefits.

As tiger numbers recover, continued engagement with local communities and mechanisms to manage human-wildlife interactions will be important to the long-term success of the programme.

Buxa’s location gives the programme significance beyond the reserve itself. Its ecological linkages with forests in North Bengal, Assam and Bhutan provide opportunities for wildlife movement and dispersal across a broader connected landscape.

Strengthening Buxa could therefore contribute not only to tiger conservation but also to the protection of forests, grasslands, prey species and other components of the region’s biodiversity.

The release of the tigress marks the beginning rather than the conclusion of the recovery effort. The long-term success of the initiative will be measured by whether Buxa can support a healthy, free-ranging and self-sustaining tiger population through secure habitat, sufficient prey, effective protection, ecological connectivity, scientific monitoring and sustained participation from local communities.