Joint Bengal‑Assam Operation Begins to Capture Elusive Buxa Tigress
Forest officials from West Bengal and Assam launched a coordinated effort to locate and capture a tigress that has evaded capture for months, threatening livestock and human settlements. The operation underscores the challenges of wildlife conservation in densely populated corridors.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority gave its nod to a joint task force comprising the West Bengal Forest Department and the Assam Forest Department, deploying teams equipped with camera traps, drones, and tracking dogs to the Buxa Tiger Reserve. The tigress, suspected of preying on cattle and occasionally venturing into nearby villages, has become a flashpoint between conservationists and local communities who fear loss of livelihood. Authorities have emphasized that capture, not lethal action, is the preferred outcome, aiming to relocate the animal to a safer habitat.
Underlying this effort is a longstanding tension over land use in the region, where expanding human settlements and agricultural fields encroach upon protected forests. Conservation NGOs have criticized past interventions for lacking community engagement, leading to resentment and occasional sabotage of anti‑poaching measures. The joint operation seeks to address these frictions by involving village councils in monitoring and offering compensation for livestock losses.
Success in capturing the tigress could restore a measure of ecological balance, reduce human‑wildlife conflict, and reinforce the credibility of the NTCA’s collaborative model. Conversely, failure may embolden poachers and erode public support for tiger conservation, potentially jeopardising funding for future projects across the subcontinent.
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