Tiger Protection Awards and Legal Support

The Indian Wildlife Act of 1972 was introduced with the intention of codifying the crimes and punishments relating to offenses against Indian wildlife and forests. The Indian Forests Act of 1927 was enacted at a time when forest degradation was not the crisis that it is today. These are the two principal legislative tools that offer protection to India's last wild tigers and their dwindling natural habitat. Unfortunately, this has not been enough to stop rampant poaching and the rapid loss and fragmentation of forest cover. It is not surprising that tiger numbers continue to decline across much of India, even in protected areas. Faced with the daunting challenge of holding back a rapidly rising tide of humanity, with its voracious appetite for land and resources, and sadly plagued by a chronic lack of financial, human and material resources, Indian government agencies are waging a losing battle for the tiger's survival in the wild. While poachers and wildlife traders are being arrested regularly, most often thanks to the courageous work of devoted conservation and law enforcement officers as well as local villagers, many wildlife criminals go unpunished due to an ineffective legal system. Faced with risky and fruitless work, and with ruthless intimidation on the part of roving professional poachers and gangs, a chronic lack of motivation is setting in. This resulting apathy is allowing tiger poachers to ply their trade with impunity. At the beginning of the 20th Century, an estimated 40,000 tigers lived in the forests of India. Today that number has collapsed to between 2500 and 3000 wild tigers. Yet, hundreds of these animals are killed every year. Urgent action is required in order to preserve the last wild tigers of India.

Besides promulgating the Wildlife Act, a body of legislation that clearly prohibits the killing of all wildlife, the late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi also promoted the creation of an invaluable network of national parks and tiger reserves. These priceless tracts of forest are essentially the last strongholds of India's remaining wild tigers. It is here, and most specifically in the extraordinary parks and reserves of the Tiger State of Madhya Pradesh, that The Tiger Foundation and its renowned partner, Tiger Trust, plan to introduce a revolutionary law enforcement support program without precedent in India.