Wildlife Institute of India

Indian Tiger Welfare Society, moved by the plight of the members of "Cat Family" like tigers due to shrinking habitat and large scale poaching, Indian Tiger Welfare was founded to spread awareness and work towards building safe haven for tigers that include Royal Bengal tiger, and Indian white tiger. The organisation shares the global conerns of protecting these endangered species and has joined hands with many such organisations who share the same conerns.The organisation shares the global conerns of protecting these endangered species and has joined hands with many such organisations who share the same conerns.

In the last half century, India's once rich biodiversity has become considerably depleted. Rapid human and livestock population increase and a rather lopsided distributive development pattern have marginalized or unjustly exploited the country's bountiful wilderness areas such that the species richness and the range of habitat types that the country used to be proud of are today highly eroded and fragmented. How can this fall be checked and reversed is now a question being pondered over at most forums.

Amidst such a situation, the need was felt for an organization to help and strengthen endeavors for recovery. It was important to have an agency which, while looking at forests holistically, combined their management with conserving their biodiversity and protecting the interests of the people in their vicinity in a manner that would be practical and scientifically oriented. Such a thought process led to the setting up of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehra Dun in 1982 with a mandate to train government and non-government personnel, carry out research, and advise on matters of conservation and management of wildlife resources.

For WII, it was a challenging task, particularly when education in forest management had nothing on wildlife, and wildlife science itself had not yet been established as a subject of any significance in the university education curriculum. With no precedence to go by, WII had to virtually single handedly not only give forest education a wildlife slant but also create and develop the very resources with which it could go about fulfilling its tasks.

The aims and objectives of WII are: 
- to build up a body of scientific knowledge on the wildlife resources of the country.
- to train personnel at various levels for the conservation and management of wildlife resources as well as provide orientation to all those concerned therewith.
- to carry out research relevant to management, including the development of techniques appropriate to Indian conditions.
- to provide information and advice on specific wildlife management problems.
- to provide a basis for cooperation with international organizations concerned with wildlife management, research and training.
- to work towards an autonomous institution of university status, which provides graduates in natural resource conservation and management for both government and non-government institutions, including university faculty and wildlife and conservation organizations.

It should ultimately become a regional centre of international importance in studies on Asian wildlife and natural resource management.


Some of the important activities of WII are:
- Masters Programme in Wildlife Biology (M.Sc.)
- Training Course in Management Planning for Protected Areas.
- Training Course in Ecodevelopment Planning for Protected Areas.
- Training Course in Zoo Management and Captive Breeding.
- Training Course in Conservation Education and Interpretation.
- Short term courses for in-service Forest Officers, IAS and the Army.
- Integrated forest management (research, training and advisory aspects).
- Enlargement in the scope and quantum of wildlife research.
- International scientific collaborative programmes.
- EIA ‘studies for developmental and industrial projects’.
- Planning of a biogeographically representative national network of protected areas for biodiversity conservation and its updating with fresh flows of information.
- Establishment of a computerized National Wildlife Database.
- Application of advanced computer based Digital Image Processing (DIP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies in wildlife research and management.
- Wildlife health programmes (research, training and advisory aspects). 

Wildlife Protection Society of India

The Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) was founded in 1994 by Belinda Wright, its Executive Director, who was an award-winning wildlife photographer and filmmaker till she took up the cause of conservation. From its inception, WPSI's main aim has been to bring a new focus to the daunting task of tackling India's growing wildlife crisis. It does this by providing support and information for authorities who are combating poaching and the escalating illegal wildlife trade - particularly in wild tigers. It has now broadened its focus to deal with human-animal conflicts and provide support for research projects.

With a team of committed environmentalists, WPSI is one of the most respected and effective wildlife conservation organizations in India. It is a registered non-profit organization, funded by financial donations from a wide range of Indian and international sources. The Society’s Board Members include leading conservationists and businessmen.

Investigation and Enforcement WPSI founding members have already demonstrated that undercover investigation is the most effective way to identify and expose the large-scale commercialization of wildlife. As a direct result of the information gathered and assistance given in 1993 and 1994, law enforcement authorities seized the bones and body parts of 109 tigers, the skins of 1650 other endangered mammals and 30,000 skins of assorted reptiles. In total 52 poachers and traders were arrested.

WPSI has established a network of strategically placed wildlife informers throughout  India. Acting quickly, WPSI's trained investigators analyze all information received and link closely with Government law enforcement and forestry departments to bring about seizures of illegal wildlife products and the arrests of poachers and traders.

Trade routes and modus operandi of traders and poachers are also continually studied and information passed on to Government authorities. However WPSI's reach extends far beyond the tiger and the Society supports conservation projects in the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, and West Bengal, on species as varied as the sea turtle and the slender Loris. The Society is now broadening its focus to deal with other critical issues such as human-animal conflict involving tigers, leopards and elephants. In addition WPSI supports a number of research projects on such far-flung issues as tiger census techniques, the ecological impact of forest resource extraction, and the snow leopard. WPSI is actively involved in all major wildlife protection issues and is one of the most effective conservation organizations in India today. WPSI projects are generously supported by a number of originations, foundations and individuals. 

Project Tiger Reserves in India
Bandhavgarh National Park

the white Tigers of Rewa where firstly believed to be discovered Bandhavgarh. This park is some of the left out preserved wild pockets of Madhya Pradesh of what were once splendid forests that extended across the whole of Central India. 

Corbett National Park, U.P.Corbett is India's first and finest national park spread along the banks of the Ramganga River, in the foothills of the Himalayas. A well-protected wild habitat, Corbett provides an unforgettable experience to a nature lover. 

Kanha National Park
In the state of Madhya Pardesh, the wilds of Kanha are see, this place is called a wild hideout taken straight from the famous "Jungle Book". 

Ranthambore National Park
A nearby attraction of Sawai Madhopur, in the state of Rajasthan, Ranthambore National Park is an outstanding example of Project Tiger's efforts at tiger conservation in the India. 

Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary
Probably the most visited park in India, Sariska was also a hunting reserve previously just like other national parks in India. The reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and came under the "Project Tiger" as a tiger reserve in 1979. 

Sundarbans National Park
In Sundarbans, adventure awaits you at every corner. Known as the largest estuarine delta in the world, this Tiger land vibrates with countless forms of colorful life. 

Bandipur & Nagarhole National Parks, KarnatakaTwo of the most attractive national parks of Karnataka are Nagarhole and Bandipur. Even if separate entities, they are a part of a large neighboring wildlife reserve that also includes Madumalai Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu and Wynad Reserve of Kerala.

Dudhwa National Park, U.P.Also popular as a Tiger Reserve, this national park is located in the district of Lakhimpur, along the Indo-Nepal border. Another major attraction of this wild reserve is the Barasingha or the Swamp Deer, found in the southwest and southeast region of the park. 

Nandankanan Zoo, OrissaA combination of a beautiful botanical garden, a zoo and a sanctuary, Nandankanan, is situated 20-km from Bhubaneshwar, and is popularly known as the "Garden of Pleasure" in Orissa. The zoo at Nandankanan is world famous for its White Tigers.