Pregnant tigress escapes from Buxa enclosure again; concerns over loss of three unborn cubs

way2barak, November 13: A tigress, brought back to West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve from Assam with considerable effort and kept in a specially built enclosure, has escaped once again. According to forest department sources, the tigress, popularly known as the ‘Queen of Dooars’, is reportedly moving towards Assam along her previous route. Forest officials, however, have put in place measures to prevent her from crossing over into Assam again.

Meanwhile, serious concerns have emerged over the tigress’s health after reports surfaced that she was pregnant when she was brought to Buxa. According to sources, forest officials came to know about her pregnancy on November 3, after she was tranquilised in Assam. It is feared that the three foetuses, believed to be around three months old, may have been lost. Forest officials are conducting a detailed investigation to ascertain the facts and determine the tigress’s medical condition.

The tigress is currently believed to be near the Chunia Watch Tower area of Buxa Tiger Reserve. The forest department has deployed several trained kumki elephants in surrounding areas, while officials are closely monitoring her movements. According to forest officials, she is around 30 km from the Raimona forest area in Assam and approximately 10 km from the Bhutan border.

The three-year-old tigress was first tranquilised at Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve on September 29. On September 30, she was brought to Buxa and released into an enclosure spread over approximately seven bighas in the 25 Mile area. The enclosure gate was opened on October 2 to allow her to move into the surrounding forest. However, she did not leave immediately.

On October 4, the tigress finally came out of the enclosure and began moving towards Assam. Crossing the Sankosh River, she entered the Raimona forest area in Assam.

On November 3, she was again tranquilised in an area adjoining the Raimona forest in Assam’s Kokrajhar district and brought back to the same enclosure at Buxa Tiger Reserve. After remaining there for six days, she managed to escape once again last Sunday.

It was during this period that forest officials reportedly learnt about her pregnancy, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding her repeated capture and relocation.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief Sanjay Kumar has reportedly acknowledged that the matter has come to their notice. Speaking to a news organisation, he said that all aspects of the issue were being examined.