Vanishing Stripes: Save the Bengal Tiger

Dear donor,

Hope you have been keeping well.

With this email, we are sharing with you the updates for our project titled “Vanishing stripes: save the Bengal tiger”. Thank you so much for your generous donation to the project.

In March this year, a wildfire threatened to cause massive damage to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, which is one of the largest biospheres in India. The Tiger Reserve supports one of the largest known population of the Big Cat in India, with around 7-8 tigers per sqkm. Looking at the scale and intensity of the wildfire, the environmentalists and local activists raised an alarm over the possible damage to the tiger population as well as other species of flora and fauna within the protected area.

The forest officials speculated that the fire could have been initiated due to the locals burning ‘sal’ trees on the ground for easy collection of ‘Mahua’ and other non-timber forest produce. The bamboo clumps and the heat wave prevailing within the region at that time, further took the fire to devastating proportions.

Whatever the reason, it got the entire field-level staff to douse the fire. To support the forest staff in their fire-dousing efforts, we provided them with leaf blowers and water canisters. With the right equipment, we were hopeful it would get easier for the forest officials to mitigate this massive fire hazard in this important tiger habitat.

We will be sharing more such updates with you for your generous donations.

Till then, take care.

Regards,

Team WTI

Dear Friend,

Hope you are doing well.

With this email, we are sharing with you the updates for the project “Vanishing stripes – Save the Bengal tiger”. Thank you so much for your generous contribution to this project and for believing in our work. We are so glad to have you as a part of our team.

You may have heard about the sad demise of ‘Munna’, the iconic tiger from Kanha Tiger Reserve, in Madhya Pradesh.  The 19-year-old tiger was suffering from age-related problems. Munna was Madhya Pradesh’s most photographed big cat due to the characteristic stripes on his forehead which resembled the word “CAT”. 

Once a dominant male tiger across ‘Kanha’ and ‘Kisli’ ranges, Munna was now pushed off his territory in the core area of the Tiger Reserve, by other younger tigers, after which he settled in the buffer zone. Due to old age, Munna was unable to prey on the wild animals, and was feeding on the domestic cattle since 2018. But after he started attacking humans, he was shifted by the Forest Department to Van Vihar National park and Zoo in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 19^th October, 2019. Since then, he was being taken care of by the Forest Department and a team of wildlife experts.    

Given Munna’s popularity, WTI in the past gave support for printing and distribution of an illustrated book for young children curated by the Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society (MPTF). The 32-page booklet was titled “Baghon ki kahani, Munna ki Zubani” (The story of tigers as narrated by Munna).  

The management measures undertaken by the Forest Department in caring for Munna and other individuals from the species, and their dedication towards protecting India’s National animal is commendable. WTI is extremely happy to be supporting the Forest Departments across the country and providing the technical expertise and necessary equipment and field gear as needed. In the reporting period, we have supported the departments from 7 Protected Areas (PAs) in central India. We provided COVID support and field gear to the frontline forest staff working in these PAs and also helped in conflict management in this critical tiger habitat. The 7 PAs where we provided support in the reporting period include – Sanjay dubri Tiger Reserve; Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary; Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary; Guru ghasidas National Park; Pench Tiger Reserve; Narsinghgarh Wildlife Sanctuary; and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. These Protected Areas together form a viable tiger habitat for the tigers residing in the central India landscape.

That’s all for today’s updates. We will soon get back to you and keep you posted on our work under the project. Till then, take care.

Warm regards,

Team WTI.