TIGERS are fascinating animals that have long captured the awe and attention of humans worldwide. Their immense strength, incredible speed and striking striped fur pattern make them unique animals that, when emerging from their forest habitat, are met with a combination of fear and admiration. The love that humans have for the tiger has even made its way into folklore and popular culture with famous tigers such as Shere Khan from The Jungle Book, Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes, Tigger from Winnie The Pooh, Rajah from Aladdin and more gracing our literature and the silver screen.
But human fascination with tigers can turn deadly. Human greed and human encroachment into tigers’ territory causes the animal to be killed in such large numbers that tigers have been brought to the brink of extinction. 100 years ago, around 100,000 tigers roamed the continent of Asia but now, that number is around 5,500 or less. In India, Royal Bengals are found in grasslands, mangrove swamps and forests across the country, except in desert areas and regions with extreme snowfall. But with increasing habitat encroachment by humans, these majestic mammals are dying due to the loss of their home. Moreover, an increase in illegal tiger poaching activities, because of the high demand in tiger parts, has led to a sharp decline in the number of these big cats across India.
The tiger is more than the national animal of India – it is home to more than half the world’s wild tigers and this means that India’s tiger conservation efforts have global ramifications. World Tiger Day is observed around the world on July 29th to raise awareness about this magnificent animal, learn about the threats that tigers face, join conservation efforts and help increase and maintain a healthy tiger population for future generations.
Here are 5 tiger conservation NGOs across India:
Nature Conservation Foundation
Nature Conservation Foundation considers children the future guardians of tigers and conducts tiger-awareness programs for people in the villages surrounding the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. This forested tiger reserve is home to 6 tigers, according to a 2023 assessment, which has also found that deforestation has led to the loss of wildlife in the area. The NGO’s program focuses on building a strong and positive relationship between the children/adults of the villages and the local tiger population through livelihood workshops, school partnerships and nature education camps inside the reserve. Nature Conservation Foundation has engaged with hundreds of villagers in the effort to help them develop tiger-friendly habits and alternative livelihoods that do not destroy the tiger’s natural habitat.
Support Nature Conservation Foundation
Waste Warriors Society
Waste Warriors Society has implemented waste management systems in 37 villages around Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand to effectively dispose of the high volume of dangerous waste, left mainly by tourists, that is posing a threat to the local tiger population. The absence of waste disposal systems coupled with booming tourism in and around the tiger reserve spells disaster for tigers who mistakenly consume the discarded waste, which is often poisonous. Waste Warriors Society schedules volunteers to conduct trash clean up drives, holds workshops in schools, installs dustbins, erects signs and murals about proper waste disposal and creates livelihoods for local women who conduct door-to-door waste collections and then segregate, recycle, compost, upcycle or safely dispose of the waste.
Support Waste Warriors Society
SankalpTaru Foundation
SankalpTaru Foundation is restoring the mangrove forests in the Sundarbans by planting mangrove trees to revive the tigers’ natural habitat. In the Sundarbans mangroves of West Bengal, around 100 tigers are estimated to have made their home. But due to deforestation, pollution and other harmful practices, the tiger-rich mangrove forests are disappearing, bringing down the endangered tiger population with it. SankalpTaru Foundation works with the local communities in the Sundarbans villages to raise mangrove saplings in nurseries, transport the saplings on boats along the riverbanks, plant the saplings and carry out maintenance to make sure the trees are in good health. This initiative by SankalpTaru Foundation restores the tigers’ natural habitat, creates jobs for local villagers and protects the environment.
Support SankalpTaru Foundation
Support tiger conservation NGOs
This World Tiger Day, your crucial support to these tiger conservation NGOs across India can help save the tiger population by ensuring that their natural habitat remains free of poaching and encroachment and populations living near tiger habitats are aware of safe living and hunting practices to ensure that both tigers and humans can coexist.
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Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.
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