1. A
s the fog begins to lift over the
extensive undergrowth, a flash of
orange is glimpsed moving through
the thickets.All eyes are peeled
towards the direction in which the orange
vanished – but nothing remains.The sharp
trill of a peacock in the distance keeps the
tourists on the edge of their seats when
suddenly, the vegetation parts, and everyone
is treated to an unforgettable view of the
very animal that they are here to see - Shere
Khan himself: the magnificent Bengal tiger.
Whilst these sightings are a huge thrill for
many tourists who make a trip to the Indian
subcontinent, the regularity in which they
occur is sadly ever decreasing. Shockingly,
there are thought to be only 3,000 of these
majestic predators left in the wild today, with
populations completely decimated from the
100,000+ they were around a century ago.
With habitat loss, human-tiger conflict and
poaching for tiger parts a constant threat
to these regal cats, experts argue that they
run the risk of extinction within the next
twenty years.This is a shocking statistic and
something that responsible travel companies
like ‘The Great Projects’ are trying to help
counteract.
With their ‘Great Tiger Project’,The Great
Projects offers volunteers the chance to
spend two weeks in the beautiful setting of
Kanha reserve – one of India’s largest and
most prestigious national parks.Alongside
viewings of the iconic tigers that call the
forests their home, volunteers will get the
chance to see some of India’s most beloved
wildlife species, including sloth bears, the rare
barasingha swamp deer, jackals and, if they’re
lucky, even the elusive leopard.
During their time at the park, volunteers
will stay at the sumptuous Singinawa Jungle
Lodge under the guidance of experienced
tiger conservationist Latika Rana. It
was Latika and her partner who founded the
lodge and helped to restore the 58 acres
of degraded land around it. Her aim and
the aim of the project is to demonstrate
how tourism, conservation and community
development can go hand in hand, helping
to play a positive role in saving the critically
endangered tiger and protect the fragile
ecosystems in which they live.
In addition to both walking and vehicle
based safaris within the reserve, volunteers
will also get to take part in all manner
of tiger conservation activities and local
community focused initiatives during their
time on the project.
‘Tyger Tyger
Burning Bright…’
These include tasks such as setting up and
checking camera traps for resident tigers,
learning how to read individual tiger pug
marks so that individuals can be tracked and
monitored, as well as giving educational talks
to local villagers about the importance of
tiger conservation.
Ultimately, this combination of wildlife
conservation activities and community
initiatives has one goal in mind – to help to
protect and assess the viable populations
of tigers within Kanha and to help reduce
the human-animal conflict that often arises
between tigers and the communities with
which they share their territory.
If you would like to find out more about
‘The Great Projects’ and in particular their
‘Great Tiger Project’, then please don’t
hesitate to visit their website via
thegreatprojects.com.
Contact Details
Email info@thegreatprojects.com
Tel +44(0)208 885 4987
Web thegreatprojects.com
Facebook facebook.com/thegreatprojects
Twitter @TGPVolunteer
Dawn breaks over the stunning Sal forests of Kanha National Park
– the birthplace of Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’ and the site of many an
impressive wildlife encounter
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
“The sharp trill of
a peacock in the
distance keeps the
tourists on the edge
of their seats”
“Everyone is treated to an unforgettable view of the very animal that
they are here to see - Shere Khan himself: the magnificent Bengal tiger”