• Protecting the tiger, its habitat, its prey and its protectors.
• Supporting the surrounding villages (Community-based conservation), if appropriate.
• Scientific studies to understand the needs of the tigers
• Control of poaching and international trade of tiger parts

• Since January 2000: Project Lifeline Sunderban: One of our more significant and ongoing projects is in the Sunderban Mangroves in West Bengal on the India - Bangladesh border. Our level of our support varies, but has been as high as $15,000 per annum. Among the project goals: providing financial relief for families of tiger attack victims, educational scholarships for the children of tiger attach victims, medical assistance for people injured by tigers, vaccination, primary healthcare and family planning for rural people who surround the tiger habitat. Human pressure on the tiger habitat is intense in this protected area and several deaths result annually due to human-wildlife conflicts.  It is imperative for the tiger that its human neighbors maintain the goodwill towards it despite the dire poverty and competition for the resources.  Hence our efforts for the community and for the tiger.  We are proud of the fact that thanks to such community-based conservation efforts, the Sunderban tiger has been relatively unaffected by the recent horrible wave of poaching that has severely affected tiger reserves in the north. More details, pictures...

CONCLUDED PROJECTS:

• August  2005 : Solar Lanterns for the forest guards in Pench NP in Madhya Pradesh, Central India: We provided solar-powered lanterns for each of the 57 patrolling camps in the Pench area. Virtually all these camps are without electricity and having the lighting is a significant increase in tiger protection in the area. [We thank Mr. and Mrs. Ketan Patwardhan of Chicago and their friends, co-workers and neighbors who made this project possible.]
  
  
• August 2003: Asian Elephant Conservation Manual: Development, production and distribution of a technical field manual targeted at researchers, conservationists, and wildlife managers for the  scientific monitoring and management of Asian Elephants for South and Southeast Asia.  This manual is similar to the successful tiger-prey monitoring manual published by the Wildlife Conservation Society in India in 2002. Since the tiger and the highly endangered Asian elephant survival is closely interlinked, this project is very much relevant for the tiger. Our level of support for this project was $10000 and we are thankful to the Wildlife Conservation Society for being the lead sponsor of the project and conducting an interactive workshop in Nagarahole-Bandipur Tiger Reserve, India, that brought together a group of experts to discuss and evaluate a variety of field and analytical techniques for monitoring elephant populations and other parameters relevant to elephant conservation. The manual was a result of this workshop.

 
• Oct 2002 : Asiatic (Gir) Lion Study and Community-based Conservation: Research into the history and cultural context of the highly endangered Gir lion by Mr. Divyabhanusinh Chavda of Jaipur at a cost of
 $6000. This work has lead to the publication of a text by the Oxford University Press.  The Gir lion is woven into the Indian culture and the survival of the lion in this isolated enclave is definitely not possible without understanding and nurturing the cultural link. The situation is not that different for the tiger, either.
 
• March 2001: Survey and Monitoring of Tiger Habitat in the Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Vidarbha (Central India) to create a database of the physical land features, water presence and the vegetation of the park. This effort was funded with the goal of creating the base for the following projects to improve the vegetation for the herbivores animals, water management, and tiger conservation research on the basis of this information collected. The project cost was $4000. We thank the Wildlife Conservation Society for overseeing this project. Pictures

 
• March 2001: Habitat Survey and Community Conservation in North Karnataka. This $4000 project in the Anshi National Park and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary situated on the northwestern side of the Uttara Kannada District, covered a contiguous area of about 1084 sq. kilometers of prime Tropical Moist Evergreen Forest tiger habitat. Logging, commercial extractions of Non-Timber Forest Products, destruction of forests for developmental projects and hunting of tiger's prey are the major threats in this region. This project addressed the conservation needs of this important tiger habitat and seeded conservation programs and awareness efforts. We thank the Wildlife Conservation Society again for overseeing this project.

 
• January 2001: Water Harvesting Structure for wildlife in the Sariska Reserve in arid Rajasthan (Northwest India). This innovative structure is one of a series of such structures constructed by the Tarun Bharat Sangh for the purposes of erosion prevention and reforestation. Generally used in human communities, this particular structure is essential for the parched wildlife during the very dry summer months of Rajasthan. Project cost was $4300 for one structure. Tarun Bharat Sangh was subsequently awarded he 2001 Magsaysay award for community leadership.
   
• June 2000: Boy Scout Cub Den 14 makes a difference for the tiger cubs. First graders from Den 14 of the Tiger Cub Scouts in Montgomery, New Jersey, wrote a letter to President Clinton urging him to save the wild tigers. They also donated a box of socks and ponchos to Saving Wild Tigers for the forest guards who protect the tigers in India. The raincoats were taken to the Phen Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and were handed over to Mr Parihar, the DFO (District Forest Officer) in that region. Project cost nil. More details, pictures....

 
• June 2000: Forest guard clothing donated by Patagonia Inc's Washington DC store

was taken to the Hemis National Park, Ladakh. The warm clothes were handed over to Riinchen Wangchuck who works with the snow leopard stewardship program along with the Snow Leopard trust. This was Patagonia's 2nd donation for the wild cats. (See below for a description of Ladakh's extreme climate). A few Patagonia jackets also went to the forest Department in Sariska tiger reserve in Rajasthan, Northwest India, where we sponsored a water conservation project.

• December 1999: Forest Guard equipment grant of $1,200. Emergency procurement of equipment (boots, socks, sweaters and raincoats) for approximately 200 staff of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Central India. More details, picture...

• Fall 1999: Tiger Link Forest Guard Awards ($125 each) were awarded to Mahendra Singh "for his exemplary courage in nabbing poachers, in spite of putting his life at risk. He has shown particular ability in collecting valuable information on anti-poaching activities. His hard work in June 1999 in capturing one injured tiger at Bodal is also worthy of mention." and to Balbir Singh, who "as a forest guard working as a driver, has been associated with teams working to nab poachers. He also showed remarkable courage in capturing a sick tiger and rescuing it. He was the first person to approach the animal... has worked hard in controlling illegal grazing..."

• Summer 1999: Elephant-mahout award $500. Awarded to elephant-mahouts (drivers) in Kanha National Park for patrol work.

• Spring 1999: Forest guard equipment to staff patrolling the snow leopard range in Ladakh via Dr. Raghu Chundawat. Total equipment value of $1,500 was donated from Patagonia, Inc. in Washington D.C. This area is significant for the tiger as well since it is through Ladakh that tiger bones are smuggled across to Tibet and are bartered for shahtoosh (the illegal fur of the endangered Tibetan antelope). The conditions are extreme with high altitudes at 14,000 feet and temperatures that drop below -35 Centigrade. Since a small staff covers a large area mostly on foot, good winter gear was welcome. Picture