Water for Bandhavgarh's Tigers - Reducing Conflict

The drought season is always the most challenging time for Bandhavgarh with most natural water sources (rivers, streams and lakes) either completely dry or almost dry. At this challenging time the Tigers4Ever wildlife waterholes play a critical role in keeping wild tigers alive and safe! Without these safe havens human-wildlife conflict and tiger-tiger conflict would escalate exponentially leading to multiple deaths of both tigers and humans. Your continued support is vital to ensure that wild tigers are safe throughout the year but especially during the drought season, so thank you making it possible.

We have had a busy few months with all our projects in India since our last report which has challenged our resources too. As we approach our fifteenth anniversary since we started to save India’s wild tigers, we reflect on how much we have achieved and how you have been a huge part of everything we do. Thank you for your loyal and generous support of our work, especially as we strive, with this project, to reduce both human-wildlife conflict and Tiger-Tiger conflict, which have increased at an alarming rate over the last few years, Every day we fight to ensure that wild tigers can have the wild future they deserve, but this means that we must adapt and respond quickly to the changing environment in which they live. This would be impossible without your help together with the generous donations we received from 4 charitable trusts. Thank you again, for your continuing loyal support.

Unusual Weather

As Winter drew to a close in late January, we were pleased to be able to complete repairs at 2 of our waterhole sites - Murdhawa and Kisanhai, whilst expressing relief that the solar-powered lighting, which we installed at 55 locations, to deter human-wildlife conflict had delivered another quarter free of trouble. Unusual weather patterns have been seen throughout February to May with unseasonal heavy thunderstorms keeping temperatures slightly lower the annual norm but, perhaps more importantly, reducing the risk of forest fires during the mahua picking season. These unseasonable rains brought little relief to the dry rivers and streams, but the cooler temperatures slowed the water loss due to evaporation. Strong winds during the storms, however, play havoc with water pumps and other equipment which gets filled with sand. So the Tigers4Ever dedicated local engineer has been busy servicing all our water pumps, motors and borewells to ensure that all waterholes are fully functioning as the hotter drier weather takes hold.

These additional repairs have stretched our resources both financially and operationally, the impact of which has been that we are behind schedule with our waterhole construction at Salkhania and are yet to start work at the proposed site in Goghra. We hope to be back on track in the next few days with work at the Salkhania waterhole due to complete next week and hopefully work will then start at Goghra before the end of June.

The Tigers4Ever waterhole project funds will be depleted by the current schedule of works and we must raise further funds to cover annual maintenance costs and any future waterhole construction before we can do more. If you are able to help at all, all donations however large or small will be most welcome https://goto.gg/34315

Even though six months have passed since the human-wildlife conflict (which we reported in January) hit a crescendo, the unrest has been a major issue and delayed all new work by Tigers4Ever, which was incredibly frustrating! This didn’t only impact our efforts to complete our wildlife waterhole work but also our attempts to launch our pilot forest rehabilitation (Tree and grassland planting) project which is desperately needed to accommodate disbursing tigers and other wildlife. Thankfully the wait is over and not only do we plan to complete our waterhole work in the next month but we also hope to start our forest rehabilitation pilot project (subject to raising sufficient funds) in June.

Waterholes and Cubs

We do have some good news too! In the last quarter, our newest waterholes are benefitting not just adult tigers but their cubs too. We know that at least seven tiny cubs are currently benefiting from Tigers4Ever waterholes, which is always great to hear! Hopefully we will have some photos of the tiny cubs to share in our next report as the evidence so far has been tiny pugmarks spotted by the anti-poaching patrols and fleeting glimpses as the cubs follow mum to hide midst the long grasses.

To date, and on completion of the work at Salkhania and Goghra, it means that Tigers4Ever will be providing year-round water for around 141 wild tigers (roughly 63% of Bandhavgarh’s wild tiger population) and thousands of other wild animals, many of which are endangered species (like pangolins and elephants), which otherwise wouldn’t flourish without risky incursions into the villages which surround the periphery of their forest home.

Monsoon rainfall and flood waters always bring plenty of challenges in terms of waterhole maintenance and repairs and we expect that 2025 will be no different. With our waterhole development project funds and repairs/maintenance funds completely depleted we hope that we can raise sufficient funds throughout the next quarter to ensure all post monsoon repairs will be possible. Each year we need an additional £2000 ($2700) to ensure repairs and maintenance can be undertaken when needed at the 26 Tigers4Ever wildlife waterholes so more funds are needed now. If you are able to help at all, all donations however large or small will be most welcome https://goto.gg/34315.

Reducing Conflict with Solar-Powered Lighting

In 2024-25, Tigers4Ever extended its project to reduce human-wildlife conflict by installing Solar-powered PIR street lighting at 55 new high-risk locations. These 55 locations which are now protected by Tigers4Ever installed Solar-Powered Street lighting have been free of nocturnal wildlife intrusions for more than one year (initial 20 locations) and five months (subsequent 35 locations) which has dramatically reduced human-wildlife conflict in these areas. We have identified a further 20 high risk locations for the installation of more solar-powered PIR movement sensitive lighting and are now trying to raise funds to install these as soon as possible.

The solar=powered PIR lights provide illumination at the edge of the forest where wild tigers, elephants, leopards, sloth bears and other animals enter the villages during the hours of darkness to raid and feast on crops and kill livestock/humans. Traditionally machan lookouts in the fields would be sufficient to protecting crops from intruding wildlife but the growing wild elephant population is undeterred by traditional protection methods and loss of life is sadly not uncommon as the farmers try in vain to save their crops from these huge wild animals with voracious appetites. As wild animals approach the new solar-powered lights, their movement triggers the PIR sensors which intensive the brightness ten-fold causing the animals to turn back into the forest without the human conflict which risks the lives of both the intruding animal and their human counterparts. Whilst this is a simple and effective solution to deter night raids, it does not negate the need for more waterholes and more forest habitat.

Whilst there is still a long way to go with this project, we cannot stand still as wild tiger and other wildlife numbers increase future human-wildlife conflict is inevitable. Tigers4Ever waterholes and other innovative solutions increase in importance each day so we must look for new ways to fund future projects alongside those we are already committed to complete. Your kind donations are essential to ensure that we can make wildlife waterholes possible and to complete other projects to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Whilst our efforts to fight the effects of climate change on wild tigers will need to continue too. Without your help we can’t provide more safe forest homes for dispersing young wild tigers! Please help, if and whenever you can, as tomorrow may be too late. https://goto.gg/34315.

More Help is Needed

To sustain the growth Bandhavgarh’s wild tiger population, more permanent wildlife waterholes are needed in areas which can support both prey and predator dispersal. More than 16 priority locations have been identified and work is underway to determine the availability of underground water sources for solar pump systems and other sites more suited to rainwater harvesting projects. Sadly though, we only have sufficient funds for the waterholes we are currently committed to construct at Salkhania and Goghra. Thus, it will be a major challenge for Tigers4Ever to provide more wildlife waterholes right now when they are needed most, as fundraising is still a challenge. Your support and donations continue to be vital to ensuring that our waterholes project (https://goto.gg/34315) can address the need as soon as is possible. We will need to raise at least another £25000/US$34500 to provide another 3 medium-large sized waterholes and 16+ are needed which will cost at least another £133350/$182000 to complete! With funding we can mobilise local labour, but without it this it will take too long.

The best way to reduce Human-Wildlife conflict is to prevent the prey animals and their predators from going to the villages in search of water and food. Thus, we prioritise our permanent wildlife waterhole projects, every year, as the drought season takes hold. As the days pass the last few seasonal waterholes, streams and rivers will run dry, and then the need for our permanent wildlife water sources will be vital to the survival of many wild tigers.

Imagine if just 500 of you read this report and donate £10 ($13) per month each, we could raise enough funds to provide 1 more waterhole in just 2 months which would be incredible: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/water-for-bandhavgarhs-tigers/?show=recurring. If you can help us to do this now you will be helping to make a difference for so many wild tigers.

Permanent wildlife waterholes are critical to prevent future tiger-tiger and human-animal conflict, which arise from increased wild tiger numbers, and better cub survival rates. There are currently more tiger cubs (82) in Bandhavgarh than the total number of wild tigers (37) counted in the 2010 Tiger Census, when Tigers4Ever started work there. One waterhole isn’t enough to reduce the conflict caused by wild tigers encroaching on the territories of other tigers and humans, so we need your help to provide at least 2 more waterholes soon, before it is too late for the wild tigers and other wildlife: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/water-for-bandhavgarhs-tigers/.

Our Challenges Ahead  

We need to keep wild tigers safe every day. Our anti-poaching patrols are tripled right now to counter the risks of retaliatory poisoning and poaching. With your help we can complete another 2 waterhole projects sooner which will help us to keep at least 16 more wild tigers including cubs safe.

Your donations will help us to save wild tigers by funding the following:

- £10 ($13) per month for a year will help to drill 12 metres (39 feet) of bore-well to access underground water;

- a one-off £20 ($26) gift will help to drill 2 metres (6.5 feet) of bore-well to access underground water;

- a one-off £40 ($52) gift will help to drill 4 metres (13 feet) of bore-well to access underground water;

- £90 ($117) can pay a team of workers to prepare a site for a new waterhole for wild tigers;

- £120 ($169) can cover the cost of labour and preparation of a 1.5 metre wide by 1.5-metre-deep elephant proof moat to protect a solar-pump system;

- £2000 ($2600) will enable the creation and lining of one larger waterhole.

Every donation, no matter how large or small, helps to increase and protect the wild tiger population. Thank you on behalf of the wild tigers, which you help us to keep safe; and on behalf of the wider tiger community in Bandhavgarh, which benefits from providing equipment and labour for our waterhole projects. We couldn’t do this without you, thanks to you, the wild tigers can live peacefully and those who live beside them can protect their livelihoods.

All donations are welcome https://goto.gg/34315. If you can’t afford to donate perhaps you could become a Tigers4Ever fundraiser, here: https://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/fundraisers/start/?fundraiser.projids=34315 and ask your friends, colleagues and family to donate to your fundraiser to help us keep wild tigers safe.

Links:

• Tigers4Ever website
• Become a Fundraiser for wild Tigers
• Buy Greetings Cards to help save wild Tigers