Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: A team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority arrived in West Bengal to investigate claims that a tigress suffered a miscarriage. The incident allegedly occurred while the big cat was being transported back to the Buxa Tiger Reserve from neighboring Assam. Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon confirmed the probe on November 13.
The three-year-old animal arrived at Buxa on October 2 from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar. It later wandered into the Raimona forest in Assam. Forest officials fired a tranquilizer dart to capture the cat before returning it to Buxa on November 4. Wildlife expert Joydip Kundu questioned the decision to tranquilize the animal during the retrieval process.
The state government denies receiving any reports regarding the loss of offspring. Oraon addressed the matter directly. "The state forest department does not have any information about the finding of three foetuses of the Buxa tigress," he said. He added that federal experts from Delhi are now leading the inquiry.
The tigress remains in the core area of the Buxa forest. She is currently 30 km from Assam and 10 km from the Bhutan border. Veterinarians continue to monitor her health. Officials have stationed trained elephants throughout the area to track her movements and keep her from crossing back into Assam.
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