Buxa Tiger Reserve Tigress Reintroduction Programme Launch
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, and West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Suvendu Adhikari released the first tigress in Buxa Tiger Reserve on October 2, 2026, marking the initiation of a phased Tiger Reintroduction Programme. This event commenced India's Wildlife Week 2026 with the objective of restoring a viable and self-sustaining tiger population in this historically important tiger landscape.
The tigress, identified as T138, was translocated from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar following comprehensive assessment of ecological, veterinary, and management parameters in accordance with established protocols. The animal will undergo intensive post-release monitoring using telemetry, camera trapping, and field-based monitoring to assess movement, adaptation, health, and behavior.
Ecological Recovery Efforts
Buxa Tiger Reserve, declared a Tiger Reserve in 1983, forms part of a larger ecological landscape with connectivity to forests and protected areas of Bhutan and Assam. The recovery effort has been ongoing since 2018 through the Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project initiated by the Government of West Bengal with support from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
Habitat improvement measures included the release of more than 800 chital to supplement the prey base and the restoration or conversion of approximately 380 hectares of grassland over the past eight years. Scientific monitoring has indicated positive trends in prey abundance, and camera traps recorded tiger movements in 2021, 2023, and 2026, including evidence of natural movement from Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.
Community Engagement and Landscape Significance
The programme engages 64 Eco-Development Committees and Joint Forest Management Committees, emphasizing community dialogue, livelihood opportunities, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and conservation-linked benefits. The recovery of tigers in Buxa has significant landscape-level implications due to its ecological linkages with North Bengal, Assam, and Bhutan, providing opportunities for wildlife movement and dispersal across a larger connected landscape.
The programme's success will be measured by the establishment of a healthy, free-ranging, and self-sustaining tiger population supported by secure habitat, adequate prey, effective protection, ecological connectivity, scientific monitoring, and meaningful community participation. Further augmentation will be undertaken in a phased manner based on habitat and prey availability, protection preparedness, population viability, monitoring outcomes, and expert advice.