"Tiger reintroduction succeeds or fails on prey base and habitat, not on the animal moved." Examine this with reference to recent translocations in India.

Tiger reintroduction means bringing wild tigers back into a reserve where they have died out locally. In 2026 a tigress was moved from Valmiki (Bihar) to Buxa (West Bengal). She strayed into Assam's Raimona National Park about three weeks after release and had to be recaptured [1]. Her case largely supports the statement, but only partly.

Why prey base and habitat decide the outcome

• Prey limits how many tigers a reserve can hold. The 2022 leopard status report found low wild prey in Buxa. It warned that adding prey must allow for the growing number of leopards [2]. The tigress left Buxa soon after release [1].
• The habitat must be secure. Sariska lost all its tigers to poaching. It recovered only under a scientific plan, with Ranthambhore tigers released into habitat with high prey density [3].
• The core must be free of disturbance. The Buxa tigress was recaptured once she came near human localities [1]. If a habitat cannot hold a tiger, the result is human–wildlife conflict.
• The site must be assessed first. As early as 2009–10, the NTCA called for a translocation protocol that includes a prior assessment of the release site [4].

Where the animal and its management still matter

• Founder group: A lone female cannot breed. Panna recovered with several founder tigers from Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench, and now has a self-sustaining population [5].
• Individual behaviour: A male moved from Pench to Panna walked about 170 km back towards his home forests. He was recaptured and later fathered cubs [6]. Straying is normal, so success depends on close monitoring after release and a quick response.
• Governance: Recapturing the Buxa tigress needed West Bengal and Assam to work together [1]. Conservation across a landscape needs formal inter-state protocols.

Prey + secure habitat → tiger settles → breeding founders → self-sustaining population
          ↓ (if absent)
  dispersal → conflict → recapture

Fig: The reintroduction success chain

In short, prey and habitat are the first requirement, but they are not enough on their own: the choice of founder tigers, monitoring and inter-state coordination decide the rest. Buxa should first rebuild its chital and sambar numbers and secure voluntary relocation of villages from the core under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Only then should it release a breeding group. Following the Sariska–Panna model would turn a symbolic release into real recovery, in line with SDG 15 (Life on Land).