A three-year-old tigress, T138, was released in West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve on October 2, starting the state’s first tiger reintroduction programme.
Reintroduction is a different task from protecting existing tigers. It means rebuilding a population in an area where it has vanished, and that depends on prey, habitat and the willingness of nearby communities to live alongside the animal.
Buxa’s preparation reflects that. Reports mentioned the release of chital as prey and the restoration of grassland, and the release date was pushed back because of the monsoon and delays in relocating villages inside the reserve.
The plan is phased. The Forest Minister said six tigers would be introduced in all, while the Chief Minister said three more would come within two months, so the pace is not yet settled in public statements.
For now the programme rests on one three-year-old tigress, who was tranquilised in Bihar on September 29 and flown to north Bengal before her release.
The project is run by the West Bengal Forest Department with the National Tiger Conservation Authority, or NTCA.
Buxa had no resident tigers before the release, although a camera trap had recorded a tiger that was believed to have entered from Assam or Bhutan.
Chief Minister Adhikari said three more tigers would be released in the next two months, according to the Free Press Journal.
Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said six tigers in all would be introduced in phases, with five more over the next three years, in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
Other reports said more tigers were expected from Assam’s Manas or Kaziranga reserves.
The reports differ on the pace of the later releases, with the two ministers describing different timetables.
The Chief Minister also announced a tourism centre planned on about 2,000 acres near Jayanti, according to the Free Press Journal.
Bengal tigress at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC0