Union Environment Minister and CM (West Bengal) release 1st Tigress in Buxa Tiger Reserve under Tiger Reintroduction Programme

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Chief Minister of West Bengal released the first tigress (T138, translocated from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar) into the Buxa Tiger Reserve. This marks the commencement of a phased Tiger Reintroduction Programme to restore a self-sustaining tiger population in Buxa, historically an important tiger landscape that faced habitat degradation and a prolonged absence of resident tigers. The initiative is backed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), involving habitat restoration, prey-base augmentation (such as releasing chital and restoring grasslands), scientific monitoring via telemetry and camera trapping, and community participation through Eco-Development and Joint Forest Management Committees.