Buxa tigress enters Assam's Raimona National Park within three weeks of release

A tigress brought from Bihar and released into Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve on October 2 has crossed into Assam's Raimona National Park within three weeks, with forest officials monitoring its movements through a radio collar.

The tigress crossed the Sankosh river on Friday and entered the Raimona forest area, apparently in search of a territory to establish, a senior forest official said on Monday.

"The female Royal Bengal tiger, aged around 3 years, crossed the Sankosh river on Friday and entered the Raimona forest area in Assam. The movement is being tracked through the radio collar fitted on the animal," the official said.

Bengal forest minister Manoj Oraon said the tigress might be exploring a wider area to establish its territory rather than restricting its movements to Buxa.

"The tigress has moved towards Assam through a specific corridor. It is using the corridor to mark its own territory," Oraon said.

The minister said the movement was part of the animal's natural territorial behaviour and its search for a suitable habitat.

"We are now monitoring the tigress's movements to determine whether it will remain in Raimona, but there is no immediate plan to bring it back with the help of tranqilisers," he said.

The tigress was released into Buxa on October 2 in the presence of Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and Union Forest and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav as part of efforts to reintroduce tigers into the reserve after years of absence.

Buxa had been without a tiger for nearly a decade before one was spotted in 2021. One or two more sightings were reported in subsequent years, including January 2026, but the reserve had no resident tiger.

The Bengal forest department subsequently launched efforts to establish a permanent tiger population in Buxa. The tigress, brought from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve, was released into the forest earlier this month but has since moved into the adjoining forest corridor in Assam.

"We are allowing it to settle down," Oraon added.

Asked about tranquilising equipment brought to Raimona from Buxa as a precautionary measure, Oraon said, "We don't have any such plans and are watching its movement through fitted radio collar signals."