Bengal forest minister Manoj Oraon announced on Monday that the state government would reintroduce Bengal tigers in the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Alipurduar district on October 2.
The big cats are likely to be translocated from either Assam or Bihar, he said.
“We are fully prepared to bring tigers to the Buxa Tiger Reserve. The programme was deferred because of the monsoon. Now, we are planning the reintroduction on October 2. The Union minister for environment, forest and climate change has confirmed his presence, and our chief minister will also attend the event,” he said.
On Monday, Oraon, along with senior forest department officers, visited the reserve to inspect the under-construction tiger enclosure. Later, a high-level review meeting was held at the Nature Interpretation Centre in Rajabhatkhawa to assess preparedness for the ambitious wildlife conservation project.
During the meeting, foresters made a detailed presentation on the tiger reintroduction programme carried out at the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, outlining the strategies and protocols that could be replicated at the BTR.
They emphasised that the success of the project would depend on scientific planning, continuous monitoring, and the active participation of local communities and all stakeholders.
The officers said Sariska’s tiger revival programme began on June 28, 2008, with the translocation of one male and one female tiger after the reserve had lost its entire tiger population.
Since then, Sariska has established a viable tiger population, which proves that reintroduction can succeed with sustained conservation efforts, the foresters added.
“Restoring Buxa’s tiger population would be a long-term process and could take many years. The initial plan is to introduce one male and one female tiger. If a male tiger is brought first, a female is expected to be translocated in the following few months,” said a forester.
Initially, the relocated tiger or a pair of tigers, as the case may be, will be kept in an enclosure that would be readied on a 2.2-hectare plot for a week for acclimatisation, before being released into the wild.
“Once released, the animal will be monitored round the clock using a radio collar. Three dedicated monitoring teams will track its movement, while a central monitoring unit based at Rajabhatkhawa will oversee surveillance to ensure both the safety of the tiger and nearby communities,” the forester added.
Oraon said the tiger reintroduction programme would also complement the state’s efforts to promote eco-tourism in north Bengal. “We are planning to develop a tourism circuit covering key destinations of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar so that visitors stay in the region for three to four days, instead of making only one-day trips,” he said.