Securing Tiger and Elephant Habitat in India

Thanks so much for your support of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s efforts to secure important tiger and Asian elephant habitat in India. By purchasing key habitat and facilitating the relocation of communities living within protected areas, this program not only frees up land for wildlife, but also helps provide impoverished communities with access to improved livelihood opportunities.

We are pleased to report that our efforts to relocate families living in the village of Singsara in Kudremukh National Park are going very well. Out of the original 20 families living in Singsara, WCS has facilitated the relocation of 19 of them to areas outside the park, where they will be free from conflict with wildlife and have better access to improved livelihoods. Gulabi and her family, shown in the photographs, are among the most recent villagers to relocate with the support of WCS at every step of the process.

The long-term conservation of India’s wildlife, including its tigers and elephants, is dependent on the creation of large patches of lands that are free from human habitation. Unfortunately, the country’s protected areas are honeycombed with human settlements, which pose threats such as habitat fragmentation and poaching. In addition, these families live in poverty and are cut off from the benefits of India’s modern economy. In order to address the needs of both people and wildlife, WCS has devised this win-win solution: a program for consolidating wildlife habitat through the voluntary relocation of these communities outside protected areas.

The last photo depicts land that was previously cleared of human settlements with tiger prey species grazing, including axis deer and gaur. Over time, prey species increase in number and eventually tiger numbers in turn begin to rise.  

From all of us at WCS, thanks again for your support of this important project. These efforts will help conserve India’s tigers, elephants, and other wildlife for future generations.