Alipurduar, Oct. 27 -- The tigress translocated from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve to Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), which later moved into Assam's Raimona Tiger Reserve, will not be brought back to Buxa for the time being. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have decided to let the animal roam freely while monitoring its movements.

Identified as BTR TF-1, the tigress has reportedly taken shelter in a natural bamboo grove spanning at least 100 bighas near Rajendrapur Forest Village, around eight kilometres from Raimona Tiger Reserve.

The tigress has reportedly killed three adult pigs and four piglets belonging to villagers. Pugmarks, scat and suspected claw marks on tree trunks have also been found in the area. The reported livestock losses and the animal's nocturnal movements have triggered concern among residents.

Forest minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said the authorities were following NTCA guidelines and that the tigress needed time to establish its territory.

"A tiger takes at least two months to establish its territory after being released into the wild. The tigress is moving through the forests as part of this process. Tigers do not recognise state boundaries and move according to their natural instincts," he said. The minister added that the tigress would be monitored for the next one-and-a-half to two months and could establish its territory in either Buxa or Raimona. He ruled out tranquilising at this stage, saying it was healthy and behaving normally.

A high-level meeting was held at around 11 am on Tuesday at the Divisional Forest Officer's office in Assam's Kochugaon Forest Division. Forest officials from Assam and Bengal, along with representatives of the NTCA and WII, attended the meeting. Rajendrapur Forest Village head Mrigendra Narzary and local representatives were also present.

Officials decided to launch a joint operation from Wednesday to guide the animal deeper into Raimona's forests. Night-vision drones and GPS devices will be used to track its movements.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.