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Context

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognizance of a report on the mowing down of three elephants by goods train at Buxa Tiger Reserve.

Buxa Tiger Reserve

• Buxa Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve and national park in northern West Bengal.
• Buxa Tiger Reserve was created in 1983 as the 15th tiger reserve in India.
• Buxa Tiger Reserve lies in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal.
• Its northern boundary runs along the international border with Bhutan.
• The Sinchula hill range lies all along the northern side of BTR and the eastern boundary touches that of the Assam state.
• It is the easternmost extension of the extreme bio-diverse North-East India and represents the highly endemic Indo-Malayan region. The fragile "Terai Eco-System" constitutes a part of this reserve.
• The Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary of Bhutan is contiguous to the north of BTR.
• Manas National Park lies east of BTR.
• BTR, thus, serves as an international corridor for Asian elephant migration between India and Bhutan.
• In altitude, it ranges from 60 m in the Gangetic Plains to 1,750 m bordering the Himalayas in the north.
• To the south-west, the Chilapata Forests form an elephant corridor to the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The reserve encompasses as many as eight forest types.
• The divisional headquarters is located at Alipurduar.
• The forest is divided into two divisions: East and West.
• Buxa Fort is an important landmark for this reserve.
• This fort was captured by British India in 1865 after the Bhutan War from Bhutan.
• Later this fort was used as a detention camp for Indian freedom fighters during the Indian freedom movement.
• At least 284 bird species inhabit the reserve.
• Mammals present include Asian elephant, gaur, Sambar deer, clouded leopard, Indian leopard, and Asian golden cat.

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