Buxa to get its first tigress as Bengal begins tiger reintroduction drive in north

Kolkata: A tigress, translocated from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve, will be released into the Buxa Tiger Reserve in north Bengal's Alipurduar district on Friday. Buxa currently has no tigers.

The tigress was brought by an IAF aircraft to Hasimara airbase and then taken by road to a designated enclosure inside the Buxa reserve. It is likely to be released into the wild by Union minister Bhupendra Yadav and CM Suvendu Adhikari on Friday.

"This is happening for the first time in Bengal and eastern India, and is a major milestone. The release of the tigress has immense importance for the Dooars in north Bengal," state forest minister Manoj Oraon told ET.


"In our Dooars region, we speak about three 'Ts' - timber, tea and tourism. Among these, tourism is a key factor. The tea gardens are not in good condition and are shutting down. If the tigress is released in Buxa, it will be a major boost to the tourism sector as there will be a significant rise in tourist footfall," the minister said.

"The presence of the tigress will also help preserve the ecosystem," Oraon said, adding that "tigers gradually disappeared from Buxa due to human activities. We must restore their habitat. To stabilise the ecological pyramid, we must sustain those at the top".