Sundarbans team heads to Bihar to capture tigress for Buxa relocation
Times of India | 14 September 2026The five-member team from the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve left for Bihar on Sunday to assist in the capture of a tigress at Valmiki Tiger Reserve. The animal will subsequently be brought to Buxa as part of the ambitious tiger reintroduction programme — the 13th in the country.
The team comprises deputy rangers Mrityunjay Biswas and Rajib Naskar, forest guard Partha Haldar, Aranyashathi Kalipada Gayen and veterinarian Sankar Biswas. Haldar is the only new member, having replaced forest guard Shambhu Das, who was there in the earlier team.
The strategy for the Valmiki operation will be worked out after the team reaches the reserve. Officials said the plan will be finalised in consultation with Wildlife Institute of India (WII) experts and a team from Buxa.
According to a WII source, experts have already narrowed down on a few tigresses at Valmiki. The final animal to be moved to Buxa will be selected after the Bengal teams arrive and they jointly assess the situation.
The experience gained during the Zeenat operation could prove particularly useful. Nylon nets, commonly used in the Sundarbans to demarcate village and forest areas and during tiger captures, helped restrict Zeenat’s movement to a confined zone in a Bankura village before it was tranquillised.
A three-member expert team of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is monitoring the exercise and is expected to visit Buxa by the end of this week.
