The West Bengal Forest Department has shifted three trained elephants from Jaldapara National Park to Buxa as part of preparations for the ambitious tiger rehabilitation programme in the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR).
The move aims to assist in monitoring and managing the reintroduction of a tigress scheduled later this year.
The three trained elephants, named Sarathi, Vir and Bharat, were brought from the Mendabari camp in Jaldapara on Sunday. Accompanying them are their experienced mahouts, Tapan, Mojibul and Narayan, who will continue to handle and care for the animals in Buxa.
The elephants have been temporarily housed at Nimti at Rajabhatkhawa . A permanent pilkhana (elephant camp) is being developed near the Tourist Interpretation Centre at Rajabhatkhawa, where they will eventually be stationed.
Buxa Tiger Reserve, spread over more than 750 sq km, is being prepared for the first phase of the tiger rehabilitation project. An enclosure has already been constructed to house the tigress before her release into the wild.
Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said the state government, in consultation with forest officials and wildlife experts, is making scientific preparations for the project. According to him, the tigress is proposed to be released on 2 October, with the event expected to be attended by senior officials from both the Centre and the state. The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari are also likely to attend the programme.
The minister, however, refrained from disclosing operational details, saying that the tigress would remain under round-the-clock observation after its release. “Releasing the animal is only the beginning. It has to be monitored scientifically and methodically at every stage,” he said.
The three newly inducted elephants will join BTR’s existing trained elephants, Jonaki and Mumtaz, taking the total number of trained elephants in the reserve to five. Forest officials said trained elephants are indispensable for tracking and monitoring large carnivores in dense forests, a task requiring patience, experience and specialised field skills.
Oraon alleged that a section of people was trying to create obstacles to the implementation of the project and appealed for public cooperation to ensure its success.
He expressed hope that if the reintroduced tigress successfully breeds and the tiger population gradually increases, Buxa could emerge as a major wildlife tourism destination. According to him, the project has the potential not only to restore the tiger population in the reserve but also to boost tourism and create new livelihood opportunities for people across the Dooars region.