Guwahati/Kolkata: Forest departments of Assam and West Bengal have sought permission from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to tranquilise a three-year-old tigress that strayed into Assam from the neighbouring Buxa Tiger Reserve and is now roaming near Raimona National Park.Sonali Ghosh, head of the forest department under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), told TOI that approval had been sought as the matter involved two states. However, Bengal forest minister Oraon said on Monday afternoon that permission from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), under MoEFCC, had already arrived.Oraon said he visited the spot in the late afternoon to oversee the operation, which began on Monday but was suspended around 7pm. “It will start afresh early on Tuesday,” said an official.“The tigress was reportedly last located in the Lawdanga revenue village area in Dotma, approximately 33 km from Raimona National Park,” said a source.Forest personnel, along with researchers and trackers from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), assembled at St Francis Xavier’s High School in Dotma to coordinate the operation, sources said.On Sunday, NTCA member-secretary Sanjay Kumar Pathak confirmed that the authority had received a request from officials seeking permission to capture the animal. “Before granting such permissions, we weigh all pros and cons. Our management focus is now more landscape-specific and not tiger-reserve-specific. We give such nods only when big cats continue to stay close to human habitations for a prolonged period,” he had said.The tigress crossed Sankosh river into Assam around October 24-25 through Chowdhury Ghat. It then moved south towards Rajendrapur forest village before reaching Hatigarh.Its radio collar stopped transmitting late on October 28, triggering concern among forest officials. The signal resumed after more than 35 hours on the morning of October 30, when the tigress was located at Narayanpur revenue village, around 18 km from Gosaigaon town.
About The Author
