Overview
- Officials formally released a three-year-old tigress translocated from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve into Buxa on October 2, after she was airlifted to Hasimara, held in a soft enclosure to acclimatise, and monitored by forest teams.
- Forest authorities completed prey‑base work before release, including the introduction of about 870 deer, and will track the tigress using telemetry, camera traps and field monitoring to assess her health and movement.
- State and central ministers said the release is the opening step in a phased programme that will bring three more tigers in the coming months and a total of six tigers into Buxa through 2029.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority is funding the relocation plan and officials say village moves from the reserve core will be voluntary with phased rehabilitation packages for willing families.
- Officials and ministers argue the project will strengthen landscape connectivity with Assam and Bhutan, create tourism and livelihood opportunities around Buxa, and raise the need to manage human‑wildlife conflict as the population grows.