Celebrating Global Tiger Day with SUJÁN
July 29, 2018 by Hidden Doorways
Did you know that there are 5,574 tigers left in the wild around the world today? Shockingly, there are an estimated 5,000 tigers living in captivity in the United States alone, accordingly World Wildlife Foundation. If you want to see tigers as they are meant to be seen in their natural habitat, Ranthambhore National Park, is a home and a haven for India’s Bengal tigers. In honor Global Tiger Day, July 29th, 2018, we’re highlighting Ranthambhore-once the hunting ground for the Maharajas and today dotted with ancient ruins and abandoned palaces. The Park introduced protection for tigers from hunters in 1973 and is one of the largest tiger reserves in India.
SUJÁN, a collection of family-owned Relais & Chateaux luxury camps and palaces across India, are deeply rooted in protecting the wilderness & wildlife in their country by creating luxury travel experiences as a catalyst for conservation. The SUJÁN family has been working with tigers through pioneering filming, monitoring, researching and creating awareness about these majestic cats in Ranthambhore for generations. In 1988, they established The Ranthambhore Foundation, a non governmental organization (NGO), that works closely with the development of villages around the park boundaries.
As a child, Jaisal, one of the owners of SUJÁN, learnt the lay of the land by walking through every inch of the park; forbidden under today’s regulations. He was taught animal tracking and bushcraft skills as a toddler under the tutelage of his father Tejbir, the late Fateh Singh Rathore and his Uncle Valmik Thapar – regarded as India’s leading wildlife experts and conservationists.
Today Jaisal and Anjali, co-owners of SUJÁN, have since continued their family’s legacy of tiger conservation since 1974 through the creation of SUJÁN Sher Bagh, 12 luxurious tented camps set on the border of Ranthambhore National Park, a Relais & Chateaux. For every guest who visits Sher Bagh, inclusive of all SUJÁN properties, a conservation contribution fee is incorporated into the rate. This fee provides financial support and resources to our conservation partners in Ranthambhore such as Tiger Watch, NGO and their Village Wildlife Volunteers Programme (VWV).
The SUJÁN family has always extended its services and resources for the welfare of the Ranthambhore National Park. In the spirit of this tradition, the Sher Bagh regularly loans jeeps to the Forest Department and its Flying Squad during the “off-season” who are monitoring animal movement and illegal poaching activity in the Tiger Reserve. In order to further anti-poaching efforts, Sher Bagh has also donated a “Canter,” or troop carrier, to the Flying Squad wing of the Forest Department which helps convey guards in force to whichever area of the Reserve is required.
SUJÁN continues to provide financial support and resources to conservation partners such as Tiger Watch, a Non-Governmental Organization and their Village Wildlife Volunteers Programme (VWV), a group of individuals drawn from villages along the periphery of or in close proximity to the boundaries of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Working closely with the Department of Forests and the government of Rajasthan, this initiative has provided crucial information on poachers as well as on illegal activities such as mining and logging leading to more secure corridors for wildlife, including tigers.
SUJÁN’s Conservation contributions continue around districts of Rajasthan and focuses on:
- Habitat preservation
- Putting more land under wildlife
- Wholistic Community development
- Monitoring, anti-poaching and research
Contact for Sher Bagh:
