By Dr. Corinne Taylor-Smith | Project Leader
It seems strange to write about thunderstorms in the middle of the hot, dry drought season but 2025 has been a strange year weatherwise and our patrollers have faced many different challenges as a result. The past few months since our last project report have brought significant challenges, making your continued support more vital than ever. Thanks to your generosity, we've been able to maintain our anti-poaching patrols at full strength—crucial at a time when both human-wildlife and tiger-tiger conflicts are at unprecedented levels. Your kindness has enabled us to patrol at triple our base level for the past four months. We truly couldn’t have done it without you.
As the wild tiger population grows, so too does the threat from poachers—making your support more crucial each day. Our anti-poaching patrols are on the front line, working tirelessly to protect these magnificent animals and their cubs. But we can’t do it without you. Your donations are vital to ensure we can continue this life-saving work, safeguarding wild tigers now and for generations to come.
A New form of Encroachment
The recent thunderstorms can provide extra cover for people to move in the jungle unseen by patrollers, but they are still seen, smelled and heard by the many animals who use their other senses to find their food and defend their young. Our patrollers also need to be extra vigilant in these conditions to prevent being attacked by poachers and the wild animals they are trying hard to keep safe. As the days are now warmer poisonous snakes are more active too so our patrollers need to take extra care after the storms, and as the temperatures rise, when they are checking the undergrowth for wire snares and traps. Just hours earlier, our patrollers had walked the same riverbank, scanning for snares and signs of illegal fishing. Nearby, fresh elephant footprints near wheat-seeded village fields raised alarm. With memories still fresh of the 13 wild elephants poisoned in late 2024, our team now patrols village hedgerows tirelessly searching for wire traps, tethered snares, and poison. Suddenly, a patroller jumps back as a large cobra rises from the undergrowth where he was checking for snares. Thankfully, the patroller is unharmed, protected by his sturdy boots and cane, which shielded him from a dangerous encounter!
A new challenge has been causing problems for our patrollers in recent months as encroachment into the forest for illegal sand-mining activities is increasing especially at night. As night falls, the sounds of tractors and diggers echo through the calm forest night, and our patrollers must make the split-second decision whether to pursue the culprits or call for back-up and more resources. When large groups of miscreants outnumber a patrolling team, personal safety must come first, and it is wise to wait for back-up rather than risking their own lives. You can learn more about the essential equipment we provide for our brave anti-poaching patrollers here: (https://goto.gg/56553), where we recently provided another 130 full uniforms with sturdy boots and 200 powerful flashlights which were desperately needed in the field.
Our patrols work tirelessly, monitoring wildlife corridors and village peripheries where snares are often hidden in thick hedgerows. However, they cannot enter private land without clear evidence. If a trail leads to a home or field, they can follow it but without that, their hands are tied. Tragically, a tiger recently wandered beyond our patrolling zone, crossing the Bandhavgarh boundary into a neighbouring forest, where it was found dead. This incident highlights the urgent need to expand our reach.
In January, we extended our patrolling area by 100 square kilometres into Shahdol forest to the northeast of Bandhavgarh whilst the poaching incident occurred to the northwest. Expanding our patrols stretches our team and significantly increases costs, which is especially challenging as fundraising is down over 40% compared to 2023–24. Our patroller wages have risen again from the beginning of May to remain fair and competitive, but this means that our financial strain is growing too.
If fundraising doesn’t improve in 2025–26, we may be forced to scale back patrols after the monsoon season (July–September), increasing the risk of more tigers falling victim to poachers. We don’t want to take that step if it can be avoided. If you’re able to donate this month, no matter the amount, it will make a real difference. Together, we can keep wild tigers safe. (https://goto.gg/28767).
When we look back to 2010 when Tigers4Ever was founded and realise that back then only 37 wild tigers roamed in Bandhavgarh’s jungles, we are nothing short of amazed and proud at the position today. Despite the fact that Bandhavgarh’s tiger habitat remains unchanged in size, there are now five times as many wild tigers for us to keep safe. Both the human and wild tiger populations continue to grow, which places immense pressure on the ecosystem and its inhabitants. Even with tolerance from both wild tigers and humans, conflict is inevitable. In the last year, we’ve focussed on several initiatives to mitigate these conflicts and address their consequences. Our patrols covered more than 33930km (21083 miles) whilst protecting wild tigers in 2024, if we have to reduce this by a third in 2025 so many wild tigers and their cubs will be vulnerable that it doesn’t bear thinking about! If you can afford to donate this month, please do, whatever amount you can spare will be a huge help for sure. (https://goto.gg/28767).
Mahua and Tendu Picking
March and April brought the Tendu Leaf and Mahua Flower picking season which increased the risk of forest fires as human encroachment increased more than 10-fold. Thankfully, our brave patrollers are well versed in fire-fighting and conflict management and thus bring these skills to their daily workload. This year, the unseasonal thunderstorms have wetted the parched forest and reduced the risk of multiple wildfires spreading. Nonetheless, these storms have been in isolated pockets so many areas are still parched dry and the risk of fires is high. Moreover, this increased human encroachment carries a high risk of tiger attacks as many tigresses have young cubs which they will do anything to protect from intruders. Whilst maintaining vigilance for snares and traps, as daytime temperatures soar, our patrollers need to be mindful of tiger movements in areas of high human encroachment, so as to ensure that appropriate safety education messages are delivered AND the tigresses and their cubs remain safe! The drought season has taken hold despite the unseasonable rainfall in the last month and the Mahua pickers continue to burn leaf litter at the base of trees to make it easier to collect the falling flowers in the early mornings, however, on windy days and when the fires are not watched, the forest can soon be ablaze across many miles, destroying pristine wildlife habitat in their wake!
Throughout the last 18 months we have focussed on multiple initiatives to address Human-Wildlife Conflict and forest encroachment via our other projects, including the provision of more permanent wildlife waterholes bringing the total number of Tigers4Ever waterholes to 25 (soon to be 26) and installing solar-powered PIR lighting at 55 forest edge locations to reduce the risk of livestock and human kills and nightly crop raids by elephant, tigers and leopards, (https://goto.gg/34315). These initiatives are running concurrently with our forest safety education programme too.
Seasonal streams, rivers and ponds are dry and Tigers4Ever waterholes are crucial to keeping wildlife in the forest and safe, as funding for more waterholes is now depleted, we are actively fundraising as more waterholes are urgently needed for more wild tigers and their cubs. This is an annual problem which fuels human encroachment into the forest as village fields are dry too, so farmers bring their livestock into the forest to graze whilst poorer members of the rural community collect tendu leaves (for Indian tobacco) and mahua flowers (for Indian alcohol) so that they can sell their collections and feed their families. These activities put the lives of humans, their livestock and forest wildlife at risk as tigresses will systematically attack anyone who gets close to their cubs, and old or infirm tigers will take the easier meal of livestock which leads to retaliation by the humans who try to protect their herds. It is a never-ending cycle of events which challenge our patrollers every year and as the months progress the risk of forest fires increases with the mahua picking and deliberate fire lighting which will double the workload for our brave patrollers too. Life is tough in the jungle right now and will be more so over the next 6 months too.
Can we do more?
Our anti-poaching patrollers work tirelessly in some of the planet’s most extreme and dangerous environments, performing one of the toughest jobs in the world. Three-quarters of the global wild tiger population is in India, with 3,167 wild tigers, 785 of which are found in Madhya Pradesh where our patrollers operate. Bandhavgarh’s wild tiger population has increased fivefold from 37 in 2010 to more than 225 today, a success story made possible by your support!
Worryingly, two wild tigers have been trapped by poachers in the last 10 months and the number of snare wires and signs of anchored traps are increasing again too. Farmers often tie wire snares around the boundary of their crops and villages to prevent crop raiding, but these wire snares are indiscriminate and will kill tigers and leopards if they remain undetected. Our patrollers systematically remove these wires and fill the anchor points with sand or soil to prevent hidden tethered snares along the trails where tigers walk. Our patrollers always need to be extra vigilant against snares as they can be easily concealed and can snare a patroller’s foot too. Increasing tiger numbers inevitably leads to an increase in poaching, in addition to increased tiger-tiger and human-tiger conflict, so we can’t afford to reduce our patrolling now. Wild tigers need more habitat and protection, so we extended our patrolling range a few months ago to include areas where some of the sub-adult tigers from Bandhavgarh have migrated.
The growing wild tiger population has resulted in an increased risk of tiger-tiger conflict too. The aggressive roars of territorial battles echo for up to 8 miles, prompting our patrollers to approach with caution. Wounded tigers are extremely dangerous, and our patrollers must stay alert to avoid attacks on themselves. They search for signs of injury and, if necessary, call for veterinary help. Sadly, sometimes it’s too late, and the lifeless body of a once-majestic tiger is found. Despite being it a natural death, it’s heartbreaking to see such a magnificent creature lying lifeless. Without restored habitat and more waterholes, sadly tiger-tiger conflict will continue to increase.
More wild tigers mean more territorial conflicts and natural deaths, thus expanding and improving forest habitat is crucial, and from June 2025 we will be actively working on forest rehabilitation projects and thanks to a kind donation from our friends at Typical Tigers we will be able to start this work soon. We’ve identified a 100-acre area of denuded forest where we will clear invasive lantana before planting saplings from 32 native tree species and grasslands to provide food for elephants and the tigers’ prey. In June 2024, Tigers4Ever Trustees planted 12 native tree saplings at Tala Camp as a commitment to Bandhavgarh’s future, 4 of these are thriving and we hope to have some photos of them soon.
Every day, we confront these challenges head-on. In 2023, wild tiger deaths in India reached a 15-year high with 181 reported deaths, which was a 150% increase from 2022. The 2024 death toll reached 126, including 15 due to tiger-tiger conflict in Bandhavgarh. The news for 2025 is bleak too with 79 wild tiger deaths across India already including the cubs of Chhota Bheem and the male tiger killed by the poachers, detailed previously. It is vital therefore that we continue maximum patrolling to protect wild tigers during the lead up to and during the monsoon as so many young cubs would not survive if their mother or father was killed by a poacher’s snare. Meanwhile, our work to enhance the existing wild tiger habitat and to reduce conflict through our wildlife waterholes project continues: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/water-for-bandhavgarhs-tigers/.
Protecting wild tigers and their habitat means more cubs survive but with that success comes greater responsibility. As tiger numbers grow and exceed the carrying capacity of their current habitat, urgent action is needed to prevent rising conflict. We’re already facing a critical tipping point in both human-wildlife and tiger-tiger encounters.
Thanks to your generous support, our patrols have helped reduce unnatural tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh. But we can’t afford to let our guard down as poachers are always watching, waiting for a chance to strike. Your donations have made it possible to extend increased patrols into July 2025. With your continued help, we can keep wild tigers safe through the coming months and beyond the monsoon season. If you’re able to give, now is the time. Every donation truly makes a difference. (https://goto.gg/28767).
Instances of human-tiger conflict at the extreme level can lead to dangerous challenging times for our anti-poaching patrollers too, as they are tiger protectors and rural communities often exact revenge on patrollers as they attempt to remove a tiger which has attacked or killed. Our patrols need to always remain vigilant, especially whilst attempting to restore calm. We continue to deliver our forest safety education training to those we encounter in the forest to try to reduce the risk of further deaths-whether those are human or tigers.
Our patrols frequently remove wires and snares set to capture wild boar and herbivores which enter the villages to raid the farmers’ crops and livestock fodder. These wires and snares are indiscriminate and have killed tigers and their cubs too. Precious tiger lives can easily be lost when they follow their prey into the villages in search of food and it is why our projects to reduce human-wildlife conflict form a vital cornerstone of our efforts to keep wild tigers safe.
Fundraising to cover our current patrolling costs continues to challenge us so we must be cautious when extending our patrolling range further. The poachers know that the cubs born 2 -3 years ago are old enough to leave their mothers’ protection now and are making their own way in the world, so we are on high alert to curb this risk and have tripled patrolling and extended our range as a result. These vulnerable young tigers will face many challenges in their quest for their own territory, not least sibling rivalry and aggression from their own parents. They will also face battles with other young adult tigers seeking to establish their own territories too and other adult tigers which have already staked their claim. As young tigers migrate further afield, our brave men and women patrollers will risk their lives to keep them safe. It will be a challenge to protect them all!
We are proud of our patrollers and their amazing efforts to keep wild tigers safe. During the last 3 years their workload has increased 3-fold, and our patrollers have responded with outstanding effort and hard work whilst poaching activity around India has reached a 15-year high. It is a miracle in the circumstances that we continue to keep so many wild tigers safe!
When conflict incidents are coupled with the increased risk of poaching activities, it means that our patrollers need to always be on high alert. We must ensure that we can maintain a minimum of tripled patrolling now, especially as poaching activity is on the increase. https://goto.gg/28767.
Making a Difference
Your continued support means that we can cover an extra 1800 km (1135 miles) of wild tiger territory per month with our tripled patrols. During patrolling, it is essential to ensure sufficient time to search for snares; traps and signs of poisoners around forest areas where human encroachment is widespread as poachers are more active. We need to maintain our patrols around the periphery of villages where crop raiding and livestock killing is rife. Our increased patrolling helps us to curb human encroachment into wild tigers’ territories and allows us to provide safety advice for those trying to protect their crops and livestock from wandering elephants and tigers respectively.
With around 225 wild tigers to keep safe, your help is crucial. In the last quarter, we’ve received news of 12 more precious tiny cubs which need our help. Your gift, however large or small can make a huge difference as to whether Bandhavgarh’s wild tigers and cubs can survive the unprecedented threats they face:
Without our help, we know that more wild tigers will die; and more humans will be mauled or killed due to encroachment or human-tiger conflict. Sadly, with every human life lost comes another threat to the wild tiger’s survival in the form of retaliation; thus, we must protect both if we are to ensure that wild tigers can have a wild future.
Please don’t hesitate if you can help, your donation can be the difference between life and death for a wild tiger, as it helps to increase our patrolling when it is most needed. Every tiger and every tiger cub counts. Thank you for making our fight against poachers, the changing climate and human-animal conflict possible. (https://goto.gg/28767).
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
