Tigers generally avoid humans. They do not view them as natural prey. When tigers do attack villagers who live around the tiger reserves, it never ends well for the tiger. They are hunted to avoid more attacks. We can keep these tigers from being hunted if we can reduce or eliminate the attacks.

Villages are located at the edges of the forest. Residents walk forest paths at dawn and dusk to gather Mahua flowers and Tendu leaves, plants that are a source of income for local families. People and tigers have coexisted here for generations. But that coexistence is fragile.

In recent years, with your help, we have funded a remarkably effective way to avoid these attacks: solar powered streetlights placed on village paths and at ranger outposts around tiger reserves. 

How do these work? Generally, tigers avoid lighted areas at night. They want the cover of darkness to facilitate their hunting. Some tiger attacks are believed to be caused by tigers mistaking a person for other prey in the dark.  If a tiger sees a human in light, the light prevents that. And when a tiger does venture into the light, a human can see it from a distance and avoid it.

Word about the effectiveness of these lights has spread among the reserves. In late June, a month before International Tiger Day on July 29, we received an urgent message from Corbett Foundation. They were forwarding a letter from the management of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, India. At 600 square miles Bandhavgarh is one of the largest parks. It is one that is known for its relatively dense population of tigers. Their letter reported that they had recently experienced six fatal tiger encounters around the reserve. Four of these occurred along forest paths in low light, when neither the person nor the tiger could see the other clearly until it was too late. 

The letter from the reserve urgently requests a total of 110 lights, with 20-25 installed at each of six villages, to be installed as soon as possible.  At a cost of $425 each, this requires funding of $46,750. Our goal for this International Tiger Day is to help Corbett respond asap to this plea from the reserve.

A donation of $425 builds a complete light. But every donation, regardless of size, counts, because they really do add up.  We understand that is not an easy economic time with rising food and other costs. But if you can spare anything at all, please help with whatever you can. Bengal tigers are endangered. There are fewer than three thousand left in the wild. Every single tiger matters. And for that reason, your donation, no matter how small, matters.