Guwahati: A three-year-old tigress released into Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district has moved beyond her original habitat and reached Assam’s Raimona National Park, near Sankosh river, a natural boundary separating the two states.Mustafa Ali Ahmed, divisional forest officer of the Kochugaon Forest Division, said forest officials from both states were working together to track the tigress’s movements. Originally from Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve, the tigress was reintroduced into Buxa Tiger Reserve earlier this month and is now being closely monitored.“According to the information we have received, the tigress entered the park two to three days ago. She is fitted with a radio collar, which allows forest officials to track her movements and stay updated on her whereabouts,” Ahmed said.The DFO said the tigress may be exploring the landscape in search of a suitable territory. He noted that tigers are territorial animals and may fight over territory, which could help explain the tigress’s movement away from her release site.“As of Saturday, we had information that the tigress was in the western part of the park, near the border shared by Raimona and Buxa. Her current location has been traced to the central range of the park,” Ahmed said.Forest officials have not yet decided on a course of action as they have not physically sighted the tigress. According to the DFO, tigers are more active at night and can travel about 10 to 15 km in a day. However, the department may be compelled to intervene if an unforeseen incident involving the animal or local residents occurs. No such incident has been reported so far.Dipankar Lahkar, a tiger conservationist, said the tigress’s movement into a new area could be part of her natural exploratory behaviour. He said tigers require suitable ecological conditions, with food availability being one of the most important factors influencing their movement.“Tigers are long-ranging animals and can travel considerable distances in search of suitable habitats. Exploratory behaviour is a natural part of their movement,” Lahkar said.He added that changing conditions in their usual habitats could prompt tigers to explore surrounding areas in search of more favourable conditions, potentially leading them into new territories.
