The first resettled West Bengal tigress captured while in Assam has returned to Buxa
A tigress that crossed into Assam from West Bengal and entered Raimona National Park on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) during a rescue in Buxa, West Bengal. | Photo credit: PTI
Dooars Rani was released at Buxa on 2 October and crossed into Assam’s Raimona National Park on 25 October
A three-year-old tigress, which was recently shifted to West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve from Bihar, was caught in a raid in Assam and returned to West Bengal on Tuesday (November 3, 2026).
The tigress, Dooars Rani (BTR-TF-1/T-138), was released at Buxa on October 2 from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve as part of the state’s first tiger translocation project. On Sunday (October 25, 2026), she crossed into Assam’s Raimona National Park in search of a habitat.
“On Tuesday, we sedated the tigress, caged it and brought it back to Buxa. We initially kept her under investigation and today we caught her only when she came close to human settlements. But now there is no need to panic. The tigress is also safe and sound,” said Forest Minister Manoj Oraon. The minister was present in Assam for the last four days to monitor the tigress.
According to officials, the tigress had crossed the Sankosh River and the road at Gosaigaon in Assam to enter Raimona in search of habitat. The area of her movement was traced up to 25 km from the Bengal border.
Forest officials from Assam and West Bengal along with a team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) initially decided to have her examined. “She is not the property of any government. It is the nature of tigers to investigate. She is likely to cross again to Raimona or any other area. Our team will continue to monitor her,” the minister said.
More moves are planned
On 2 October, the tigress was relocated from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve and released in the presence of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The CM said that three more tigers will be released in Bux in the next two months and the initiative will not only help in conservation but also in promoting tourism.
Buxa was declared a tiger reserve in 1983, but there have been no recent reports of tiger presence in the region. According to an official statement by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Buxa’s recovery has been a sustained, science-based effort and the Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project, initiated by the Government of West Bengal with support from the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has been implemented in collaboration since 2018.
Forest officials say this new tigress from Bihar will undergo intensive monitoring after its release using a combination of telemetry, camera capture and field monitoring to assess its movement, adaptation, health and behaviour.
Published – 03 Nov 2026 22:33 IST