Vanishing Stripes: Save the Bengal Tiger

Have you ever seen a tiger in the wild? You’ve likely seen pictures or videos, but witnessing a tiger in its natural habitat is a surreal experience. Tigers are majestic, regal creatures that inspire awe. For those living in cities or non-tiger countries, this big cat—one of the largest species of its kind—represents a distant, fascinating symbol of nature's grandeur.

However, for people living on the fringes of forests, sharing land with large carnivores like tigers tells a different story. These communities face constant threats, living in fear of attacks, injuries, deaths, and cattle depredation. Here, the relationship is painted in the harsh colours of human-tiger conflict, which is taking lives on both sides—a situation we cannot afford.

Tigers are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with only about 4,500 wild tigers left in the world. Over 66% of them reside in India, a country with over 1.4 billion people—the world's most populous nation.

Centralized efforts by the Indian government, like ‘Project Tiger,’ and NGOs like WTI, have helped more than double the tiger population within India’s 55 Tiger Reserves. However, as both tiger and human populations grow, so do conflicts between them, driven by the increasing demand for land for industrial and agricultural development.

While protecting and increasing tiger numbers is crucial, managing the negative interactions between humans and tigers is equally important to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.

You are helping WTI implement a holistic approach to protect India’s growing tiger population while fostering coexistence and mitigating conflict. Specifically, WTI has conceptualized Primary Response Teams (PRTs) and Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to operate in critical tiger habitats.

PRTs, composed of local community members, are the first to report a tiger's presence, monitor its movements, and keep people safe by quickly spreading the news. They manage crowds and sensitize the community on how to handle the conflict situation. Their primary goal is to prevent human and tiger casualties and maintain calm until the Forest Department and WTI’s RRTs arrive to intervene.

RRTs consist of a veterinarian, biologist, sociologist, and a fully equipped vehicle to assist the Forest Department in managing conflict. They track the conflict tiger, deploy camera traps at strategic locations, ensure its safe passage back into the forest, or, if necessary, capture it for relocation away from human habitation.

During the reporting period, PRTs and RRTs successfully managed seven human-tiger conflict situations in the Terai landscape of Uttar Pradesh and in Wayanad, Kerala. In one incident, a tiger killed three cattle in a village, causing significant agitation among residents. The roads were blocked in protest, and there were calls to kill the tiger. The PRT and RRT units, in collaboration with the Forest Department, managed the crowd and media. After six days of tracking, the tiger was safely captured in a cage without the need for tranquilization.

It was later discovered that the tiger, a male around 10 years old, had severe, permanent injuries, including broken canines and a forelimb disability, likely leading it to venture into human habitation in search of easy prey. Given its condition, the decision was made to transfer the injured tiger to lifetime care rather than release it back into the wild, where it might return to human habitation and potentially be killed in retaliation.

In conclusion, the work of WTI in addressing human-tiger conflict is a vital component of our broader conservation efforts. By integrating local communities through Primary Response Teams and equipping Rapid Response Teams with the necessary resources and expertise, WTI is not only protecting India’s iconic tiger population but also fostering coexistence between humans and wildlife.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous support in making these efforts possible. Your commitment to conservation is helping us protect not only the magnificent tigers but also the communities that share their habitats. With your help, we can continue to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, safeguard the endangered tigers, and preserve the delicate balance of our ecosystems. Your contribution is truly making a difference, and we are deeply appreciative of your partnership in this crucial work.

Accommodating 75% of the global tiger population in the world’s most populous country faces significant challenges. These include shrinking tiger habitats due to urban expansion and agricultural development, frequent human-tiger conflicts near forest fringes, and poaching driven by the demands of illegal trade.

Frontline forest staff are pivotal in mitigating these challenges by restricting further degradation of Tiger Reserves, managing human-tiger conflicts to ensure the safety of both species and combating illegal wildlife hunting and trade. Working under extremely tough conditions—navigating difficult terrains, braving harsh weather, and facing threats from poachers and wild animals—these on-foot soldiers risk their lives daily, to preserve India’s natural heritage. Despite these hardships, the most significant obstacles they face are inadequate equipment and proper training.

Recognizing the importance of their role and the gaps in resources, WTI has been committed to strengthening the capacity of frontline forest staff across Protected Areas in India. During the reporting period, the staff of Nagzira-Navegaon Tiger Reserve (NNTR), a critical tiger habitat and an important corridor in the Vidarbha landscape of Maharashtra, received training in Wildlife Crime Prevention. The training included practical sessions on combating various aspects of tiger hunting and the illegal trade in tiger parts, with mock wildlife crime scenarios to teach how to effectively investigate and document crime scenes.

Over the past two decades, WTI has been working in the NNTR landscape, collaborating with the forest department to train frontline staff in wildlife crime prevention, conducting anti-snare walks to dismantle traps set by poachers, and providing legal assistance. These efforts have significantly built capacity and strengthened the staff, helping prevent wildlife crime in the tiger reserve.

To date, 21,000 enforcement personnel have been trained across India in wildlife crime prevention, identification of wildlife articles in trade, anti-snare walks, and legal assistance.

This progress has been made possible through your generous support. Thank you so much for being a steadfast supporter of tiger conservation in India. Your commitment is not just helping us preserve the majestic tiger and its habitat but also playing a crucial role in empowering those who protect these magnificent creatures. Every contribution you make ignites hope and drives meaningful change, ensuring a safer future for our wildlife and reinforcing the global efforts to sustain biodiversity. We are deeply grateful for your continued trust and partnership in this vital mission.