Alipurduar, Sept. 29 -- After days of suspense, the tigress selected for reintroduction into Buxa Tiger Reserve was finally tranquilised and secured inside a cage in Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve on Tuesday, paving the way for her journey to Buxa.
Forest minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said: "The long wait has finally ended and the tireless efforts of the special team...have brought success."
For nearly a week, more than 70 officials, experts and forest personnel had been combing the Valmiki forests despite adverse weather. The around three-year-old tigress was successfully darted shortly before sunset while feeding on an adult buffalo carcass she had dragged deep into the forest.
The buffalo had been placed as bait on Monday. Following the trail, a joint team comprising officials and experts from the West Bengal Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority tracked the animal and reached the darting range on Tuesday. The tigress was reportedly darted in the first attempt and has already been fitted with a radio collar.
After health examinations, she will be flown from Gorakhpur airport to the military airfield at Hasimara aboard an Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter, with the airlift expected to reach Hasimara around 3am on Wednesday. Two wildlife veterinarians and tiger experts will monitor her vital parameters every 10 minutes during the flight.
After landing, she will undergo another health check before being taken by road to Buxa. Security has been tightened at key entry points to prevent unauthorised access.
The tigress is scheduled to be soft-released into a 2.2-hectare enclosure in Buxa by 9.30am on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.