The Buxa tigress
We have, therefore, decided to capture her and bring her back to Buxa.
We hope to get the clearance by Saturday night and will begin the capture operation from Sunday,” Oraon said in Assam, with James Basumatary, executive member (EM) for the forest department, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), by his side. The exact capture strategy is yet to be finalised, sources said. The tigress’s migration from north Bengal to Assam’s Raimona National Park has not triggered any human-tiger conflict yet. “Although there has been no conflict situation, the tigress is staying close to human habitation. The Bengal forest dept has already informed its Assam counterpart, which has written to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for permission. The minister, however, did not specify whether the operation would involve luring the tigress into a cage using bait or tranquillising her.
Kolkata: The presence of the Buxa tigress near human habitation in Assam days ahead of the Kali Puja festivities has prompted the Bengal forest department to decide that it would bring her back to Buxa Tiger Reserve, state forest minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said on Saturday.
The developments are also likely to accelerate preparations for the next phase of Bengal’s tiger augmentation programme — bringing a male tiger from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve. The department is expected to initiate arrangements for the translocation.