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Relevance: GS-III (Environment & Biodiversity) | Source: The Hindu

The News: For years, West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve had a tragic history: it had no tigers left. Now, the government has launched a major rescue mission to bring them back, starting by releasing a healthy three-year-old tigress brought in from Bihar.

1. Why Did They Disappear?

Buxa was proudly made a tiger reserve in 1983. But over time, things went terribly wrong.

  • No Food, No Home: As human activity grew, trees were cut down and the forest was broken into small patches. The deer and wild pigs that tigers eat almost entirely vanished.
  • The Exit: Without enough food or safe space to roam, the tigers either died out or migrated away, leaving the forest completely empty.

2. The Comeback Plan

You can’t just drop a tiger into a new forest and hope for the best. It takes careful planning.

  • Building a Family: Three more tigers will be moved to Buxa soon so they can breed and build a new, permanent family.
  • High-Tech Bodyguards: The new tigress is wearing a GPS collar. Forest guards are tracking her every single move via satellite to make sure she is hunting safely and adapting well.

Value Box: Key Geography & Rules
Buxa’s Geography It sits at the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal. It touches Bhutan and Assam, acting as a massive natural highway for wild elephants.
Why Bihar’s Valmiki Reserve? The tigress was brought from Valmiki because its climate and trees are almost identical to Buxa, helping the tiger feel right at home instantly.
The “Soft Release” Rule Tigers are never dumped straight into the wild. By law, they are first kept inside a large, fenced forest camp (a ‘boma’) to get used to the local smells.

Practice MCQ

Q. Consider the following statements regarding tiger conservation and geography in India:

  1. Buxa Tiger Reserve is located in West Bengal and shares an international border with Bhutan.
  2. Under National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, translocated tigers are immediately released into the open wild to encourage natural hunting instincts.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only     (b) 2 only     (c) Both 1 and 2     (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only
Hint: Statement 1 is correct; Buxa shares its northern border with Bhutan. Statement 2 is incorrect because the NTCA requires a “soft release”—where the animal is first kept in a closed camp (boma) to adjust before fully entering the wild.
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