The Fund for the Tiger Annual Year End Newsletter December, 2003

Dear Online Friends:

I again hope this letter finds you all in good health during the Holiday Season. The Fund For The Tiger has now been operating for more than eight years, and I am pleased to be able to send out this report on the tiger conservation projects we are supporting.

Nepal

In the 2003 Newsletter I wrote about the increasing activity in the illegal trade of endangered species and have long contended that Nepal was a smuggling route to extinction for many animals.  Proof of this came again with the BBC story dated October 11, 2003 declaring “customs officials and police have smashed the largest case of illegal fur smuggling in Tibet in more than half a century.”  Over 1200 skins (32 tigers, 579 leopards, and 665 otters) were found in a truck coming from Nepal and bound for Lhasa.  The value of the haul was put at $795,000.  Two Nepalis and three Tibetans were arrested.  Analysis of the furs indicated that the animals appear to have been shot.

Our funding in Nepal goes via the International Trust for Nature Conservation and is supervised by its Trustee, Dr. Charles McDougal.

•  The above-mentioned animal fur seizure highlights the importance of a project we began funding in December of 2002- support of a CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) project aimed at harassing and shutting down the illegal trade of ‘protected’ animals in Nepal.  Dr. Charles McDougal and Dinesh Thapa of the International Trust for Nature Conservation met with the CITES officials in late November and renewed our commitment for another years funding. 
   
•  I have also written over the past two years about the rampant poaching of rhinos- particularly at Royal Chitwan National Park. A rigorous new anti-poaching effort has begun and is reaping some results.  According the sources at Chitwan there have been no know cases of rhino poaching in the past four months.  59 rhinos are known to have been killed in the previous two years. 30 poachers have been arrested thus far in 2003. For our part, we are helping to fund an information gathering/informant network and two mobile anti-poaching patrols that continually move about the park. Dinesh Thapa recently met with the Chief Warden at Chitwan who thanked us for our support.  A well protected habitat benefits all animals--especially the tiger.  McDougal reports that nine years of monitoring tigers at Chitwan show a healthy and stable population.
   
• The salary and expenses for two of Bhim Gurung’s associates who monitor his 32 ‘citizen rangers’ throughout the Terai are now paid by our Fund.
   
• We continue to fund an anti-poaching patrol as co-ordinated by Warden Tikaram Adhikari at Royal SuklaPhanta Tiger Reserve in far western Nepal.  Tikaram reported to McDougal in October that poaching has not been a big problem at Sukla Phanta.
   
• Camera trap tiger monitoring at Chitwan under McDougal and Adam Barlow.
   
• Periodic rewards as needed for information and arrests of poachers at Chitwan.

India

In India, we are pleased to help fund several projects of the Wildlife Protection Society of India headed by Belinda Wright.  Funding in 2003 and into next year will help support the following:

• The Poaching and Trade Investigation Project. This aggressive program works closely with the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation- investigating all wildlife crimes and poaching incidents and occasionally pulling off some important sting operations and arrests.  
     
• Our main focus in India the past few years has been to protect the tigers at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and we are now funding a full time wildlife conservationist.  This gentleman has been working hard gathering information about poaching, wildlife trade, and also promoting tiger conservation awareness in the 77 villages in the proximity of Bandhvargarh. There have been three significant tiger deaths at Bandhavgarh this past year and it underscores a serious problem: very high tiger density vs. population pressure = no room to disperse!
   
• We continue to provide essential resources and equipment for anti-poaching patrols monitored by Brijendra Singh in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve, especially the care and maintenance of Sonakali, the elephant we helped donate to the area several years ago

Comments

Have you ever wanted to ride an elephant into the jungle in search of a tiger?  In March 2004, I will be leading the annual Mountain Travel/Sobek (MTS) Save The Tiger trip.  This is an excellent opportunity to see this magnificent animal in its wild and natural habitat;  see firsthand what is being done to protect the tiger; and to contribute to tiger conservation work. MTS operates this trip on a non-profit basis and donates all profits to assist our tiger protection efforts.  This will be the 10th trip to tiger country and has raised over $81,000.  The 17-day trip departs March 19th, 2004, and will visit Bandhavgarh National Park in India and Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal.  You can get more information by accessing the MTS website at www.mtsobek.com or contact me direct.

I you can assist us in our efforts to help the tiger and it’s habitat your contribution would be greatly appreciated.  Your donation is deductible for tax purposes within the limits of the law.

Warm regards and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!.

Sincerely,

Brian K. Weirum
Chairman
The Fund For The Tiger

How to Help

If you can help in any way please send your contribution to The Fund For The Tiger at P. O. Box 2, Woodacre, California, 94973. Contributions are deductible for tax purposes within the limits of the law.

Page updated December 12, 2007

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