By Dr. Corinne Taylor-Smith | Project Leader
It seems colder than ever in Bandhavgarh these days, especially on Winter patrols, that’s why we’re always grateful for the brave men and women who risk their lives whatever the weather to keep wild tigers safe. Something which would be impossible without your generosity and support. So, thank you too.
We’ve celebrated incredible progress: wild tiger numbers in Bandhavgarh have increased more than five-fold since 2010. This is a tremendous achievement, but success brings new challenges. More tigers sadly means more poachers. Across India, the threat is escalating: in 2024, 126 wild tigers died. By the end of 2025, that number had risen to 167—a shocking 32.5% increase. Most alarming of all, in just the first 11 days of January 2026, nine wild tigers have already been lost. If this trend continues, more than 350 tigers could die this year. We cannot let that happen. Your support is critical to stop this devastating surge in poaching and protect every tiger we’ve fought so hard to save.
Your support is the lifeline for wild tigers in Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh which is India’s proud “Tiger State”. Bandhavgarh is where our dedicated anti-poaching patrols operate, and is where tiger numbers have soared to more than five times what they were when we began our vital work. These patrols are the first line of defence against wildlife crime and the beating heart of tiger conservation. Their impact goes far beyond protecting tigers - they safeguard habitats, prevent poaching, and create lasting benefits for local communities.
But the fight isn’t over. We won’t let the poachers win! Wild tigers remain critically endangered, threatened by poaching, retaliatory poisoning, and the illegal wildlife trade. That’s why it’s essential that we maintain our anti-poaching patrols at the highest levels. Together, we can ensure these magnificent tigers not only survive but thrive.
Your donations ensure that we can continue this vital life-saving work, safeguarding wild tigers now and for the future generations to come. (https://goto.gg/28767).
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, and 226 of these are found in Bandhavgarh, where our anti=poaching patrollers operate.
Worryingly the number of snare wires and signs of anchored traps are increasing again as has been the trend over the last 12 months. Farmers frequently tie wire snares around the boundary of their crops and villages to prevent crop raiding, but these wire snares are indiscriminate and can kill tigers and leopards too, if they remain undetected. Another worrying trend is the increased use of electrified fences around the crops, whilst solar powered fences are designed to give a deterrent jolt, the trend towards mains powered fences give sufficient charge to kill wild elephants AND all other animals. At Tigers4Ever, we are against the use of all electrified fencing opting for more traditional and wildlife friendly alternatives. (See our Forest Restoration project https://goto.gg/70006 for details about the use of Cattle Proof Trenches (CPTs) and our Waterhole project https://goto.gg/34315 for details about the use of solar-powered lighting to reduce human-wildlife conflict).
Our patrollers systematically remove loose wires and snares, and fill the anchor points with sand or soil to prevent hidden tethered snares along the trails where tigers walk. They always need to be extra vigilant against snares during foot patrolling as wires can be easily concealed and can snare a patroller’s foot too. Sadly, as mentioned above, an increase in tiger numbers inevitably has led to an increase in poaching too, in addition to increases in both tiger-tiger and human-tiger conflict, so we can’t afford to reduce our patrolling when it is most needed.
Wild tigers desperately need more habitat and protection, so our project to restore lost forest habitat in Salkhania and create a new wild tiger corridor at Sarmania (https://goto.gg/70006) is essential to help accommodate the increased number of wild tigers. We also extended our patrolling range in 2025 to include areas where some of the sub-adult tigers from Bandhavgarh have migrated.
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 to reduce unnatural tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh. But we cannot 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 January 2026. With your continued help, we can keep wild tigers safe through the coming months and beyond the 2026 monsoon season. If you’re able to give, now is the time. Every donation truly makes a difference. (https://goto.gg/28767).
We are proud of our patrollers and their amazing efforts to keep wild tigers safe. During the last 4 years their workload has increased 3-fold, and they have responded with outstanding effort and hard work whilst poaching activity around India has reached a 15-year high. It is a miracle 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 vital to have enough time to search for snares; traps and signs of poisoners around forest areas where human encroachment is widespread as poachers are more active now. 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 over 226 wild tigers and cubs 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 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).
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