Protecting Tigers

In the last 100 years, tigers have lost 93% of their historical range with population numbers estimated at fewer than 3,500 still remaining in the wild. The increasing demand for tiger skins and derivatives has pushed this iconic species to the brink of extinction.

By funding ground-based tiger conservation initiatives across Asia, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) is fighting from grass roots to the world-stage to protect this iconic species and give it the best possible chance of survival in the wild.

Tiger Conservation Updates 2017-2018

Russia:

• In the Russian far-east, our funding has uncovered 491 wildlife violations and the seizure of six rifles, preventing them from being used as a tool for destruction. 
• DSWF also funded a project into the rehabilitation and removal of illegal logging routes in prime tiger habitats to ensure that illegal activity and human presence in protected areas did not adversely impact on the remote tiger populations.
• In 2018, we funded eight annual art competitions for children, promoting careful and respectful attitudes towards Amur tigers. Art helps to teach children fundamental skills, values and attitudes and as many as 3,285 sent in their paintings. 
• DSWF  also funded Tiger Day and a tiger festival with 18,000 attendees. Competitions were held to promote tiger conservation, including 372 participants in a ‘feed the tiger’ contest, 251 participants in ‘the fastest tiger’ contest and 170 children taking part in a quiz about wildlife. At Tiger Day in Luchegorsk, 14 delegations representing village schools participated in the parade. Over 600 people attended this event.

 Thailand:

• Our partners in the Dong Phayanyen-Khao Yai Forest Complex of Thailand reported no poaching incidents last year, which is particularly encouraging for an area previously recognised as a poaching hotspot. By investing in long term law enforcement efforts, capacity building and training, we believe we can turn the tide on wildlife crime.

Trans- Himalayan:

•  Through investigations in trans-Himalayan regions, DSWF funding has helped infiltrate illegal wildlife networks, which are involved in the illegal wildlife trade, so allowing substantive information to be collected. This information has now been shared with law enforcement authorities to assist in arrests and convictions. 

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) funds vital anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trade investigations across Assam’s borders to help protect one of the most important tiger populations in the world. Your support of our work is helping on many levels in the fight to secure a safe future for wild tigers.

Since 1950, the world’s population has trebled and mass urbanisation has encroached on even the world’s most wild places. With escalating human populations and shrinking animal habitats, human-wildlife conflicts are becoming more and more frequent.

Over the last year, DSWF has continued its commitment to reducing human wildlife conflict, by funding innovative and tech-based solutions to mitigate dangerous interactions for both people and wildlife, such as tigers.

In India, DSWF has helped fund a new wildlife mitigation mobile phone app, to reduce human wildlife conflict. The Wild Watch app was successfully tested earlier this year and is now being implemented.

DSWF was also proud to launch an initial study into road traffic accidents involving large scale wildlife deaths, to better inform and prevent these unnecessary incidences.

With your support DSWF has also funded two day-long workshops for district police on the illegal wildlife trade. This should help officers handle wildlife crime in a more positive way and highlight the need for more concerted efforts to check wildlife crime, such as tiger poaching and the trade in illegal tiger parts. 

DSWF has also funded the training of a new anti-poaching dog through our project partners Aaranyak. The dog squad was set up in 2011 and was the first in Assam. The highly trained dogs pick up scent at the scene of a wildlife crime and follow it back to the criminals involved, providing valuable support to the Wildlife Crime and Monitoring Programme and demonstrating a zero- tolerance approach to poachers and would-be poachers.

All of these projects are helping to save India’s precious wildlife, including the majestic tiger and their work is only possible because of the generosity of supporters like you. Thank you!

Look out for our future updates on how YOUR donations are helping to save this beautiful yet endangered species.

Click here to find out more about how we are protecting wild tigers.

Links:

• http://www.davidshepherd.org