Overview
- The three‑year‑old tigress known as Dooars Rani dug a tunnel beneath a 2.2‑hectare enclosure and escaped from Buxa Tiger Reserve on Sunday, forest officials said.
- Teams are using her radio/satellite collar to track her while about 60 forest personnel and three trained elephants monitor movements roughly five to seven kilometres from the enclosure.
- Dooars Rani was translocated from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve and first released into Buxa on October 2 before she trekked into Assam and was returned in early November by a joint West Bengal–Assam operation.
- West Bengal, with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) supervision, plans to bring two more tigers to Buxa by month‑end as officials balance allowing natural movement with measures to keep animals inside the target landscape.
- Conservationists warn the case echoes prior long treks by translocated tigers and underscores gaps in habitat assessment and cross‑border tracking that experts say must be closed for phased, science‑led reintroduction to succeed.