As forest degradation in the catchment areas continues and rivers get silted, natural channels follow the gradient and change course. In the area around Tiger Haven Wildlife Centre, this is causing significant damage to grazing lands and to adjacent farm lands. The original river flowed along the northern boundary till silting forced it to change course upstream.

Unnatural channels built by local farmers trying to force the flow away from their farm lands has not succeeded and large tracts of farm land are now lying fallow and not suitable for agriculture. A channel built along our southern boundary in the past has only added to our problems and we have had to reinforce the embankment at a major stress point which failed last year and caused widespread floods over half our land.

We now await this year’s peak rainfall and high water flow in anticipation.

2020 and 2021 were Covid years and we had no access to village children since all schools were shut. This was a significant setback since we discovered that the children had not retained any of the learning. Our Teacher/Trainer was unable to pick up where we left off and moved on.

This year, we have finally received the necessary Government clearance to take students from Govt run village schools to our education centre.

• Our training is now reoriented to providing a more practical hands-on knowledge to the children. The objective is to teach them how to contribute to saving the environment and wildlife while being able to earn a good income significantly above the current standard from agriculture and local opportunities.
• 20 children from 4 schools come for 5 days every month.
• Right now, we are teaching logical thought processes and inculcating observation and understanding through those processes.
• Team-work, co-operating and participative functioning will follow.

This year the floods were multiple and worse than last year both with respect to frequency as well as duration and time of occurrence.

The picture shows our fields on the 2^nd November, 2022 clearly showing the flood impact on the water table which is currently 0 ft.

The effect on agriculture is straightforward and disastrous.

Soil preparation including ploughing will only be possible when the water table drops by at least 3 feet. Until then no planting is possible. Mustard planting usually in October is out of the question.

Wheat planting is very unlikely given 1^st week of December is actually too late.

Standing sugar cane is deteriorating fast and is not harvestable so ratoon crop will be delayed.

Farmers who only plant vetiver, which is especially hardy and can survive under waterlogged conditions, are impacted to the extent that harvest and sowing will be delayed and if it goes beyond March germination is poor.

Climate change is going to cause food shortages and huge problems for our country with no signs of any action anywhere on the horizon.

Our solutions for local villagers with respect to wildlife and environmentally friendly agriculture still remain valid but we are already thinking about modifications to offset these ground realities

The Billy Arjan Singh Award was presented at the 2022 Wildlife Week at Dudhwa National Park.

The award was given by the Field Director Shri Sanjay Kumar to Deputy Range Officer Sobaran Lal for outstanding performance. He was directly responsible for the capture and prosecution of over 50 criminals, including poachers, wood cutters and thieves, and collected over 60 lakhs in fines.

Billy’s contribution to Dudhwa National was recognised at a function at Krishak Samaj Inter College, Gola, held on this Independence Day, which also happens to be his birthday.

The Billy Arjan Singh Award for exemplary service by a field officer at the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was awarded to forest guard, Shravan Kumar.

The award comes with a Rs. 50,000 cash prize and a trophy from THS. The awardee also received a letter of commendation from the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

THS Chairman, Jairaj Singh gave away the award and DTR Deputy Director Kailash Prakash was present at the ceremony.

Every year the wildlife week takes place in the 1st week of October.

This year the Program started off with the march around the township with the intention of spreading the message.

Our society took part in the march with children from our group which has dwindled to just a few and children from our current term participants.

The program itself was subjected to multiple changes since both the senior officers were recent transfers and the CM had his own agenda at Lucknow.

The competitions were held finally and our students made efforts at participating.

Every year we also give an award to the field staff who has done good work in protecting the environment and wildlife.

This year the award was presented by the Deputy Director on the closing ceremony.

Billy Arjan Singh award presentation
3rd place winner for best slogan being presented to our society

Our new approach of visiting all participating schools is having an impact small as it may be on the school children in general and some of the teaching staff.

Our rotating shield awarded to the school whose premises show student driven environment improvement viz tree planting, garden creation, water management and cleanliness is starting to generate some competition amongst the teaching staff and this year Puranpurva won it back from Barbatta to whom they lost last year.

PRINCIPAL OF PURANPURVA SCHOOL ACCEPTING THE ROTATING SHIELD FOR HIS SCHOOL
BEST PERFORMING STUDENT OF THE SCHOOL

We continue to see the improvement in children’s outlook based on the Principal/Teacher level of commitment and involvement.

Equally motivating is to see the number of girls winning the trophy for the best student for their school. This equally true for students from the Tharu [tribal] belt as it is for the rest of the schools.

BEST STUDENT OF BARBATTA SCHOOL
STUDENTS OF BARBATTA SCHOOL

We continue to see the improvement in children’s outlook based on the Principal/Teacher level of commitment and involvement.

Equally motivating is to see the number of girls winning the trophy for the best student for their school. This equally true for students from the Tharu [tribal] belt as it is for the rest of the schools.

This years program and discussion with students has led to a small visible impact. Our program to build soak pits in village homes was presented to the children and while in typical style they all expressed interest in the idea some of them actually got back to their teachers and us with positive response from the parents so we have started building soak pits in a 2nd village in the region and see this trend continuing as we continue our efforts.

The starting of the Wildlife week parade

Ravi & Seema Prehari members being presented an award of Rs 5000/- This year the WWF was structured slightly differently with more emphasis on participation and less on the closing ceremony. Our team was present at all of the events and Ravi and Seema were awarded a Rs 5000/- purse for their positive action in saving a Hog Deer from villagers. The deer was trapped in a village and the villagers had decided to kill and eat it. Ravi and Seema took it up with the villagers and told them it was illegal and wrong.The villagers refused to listen so Ravi and Seema warned them that they will inform the Park authorities and when they villagers did not relent they informed our staff who informed the park whom came and rescued the deer. We are very proud of our team who have gained confidence and courage to work for the environment and wildlife.

Our team members engaged in a discussion and Q & A session with the Park Director and other Forest officials.

Our team participated in the park clean up drive where the road from the entrance to the Park HQ was cleaned and all garbage removed and disposed appropriately.

This year we decided that individual presentations at all the 18 schools who participate in our program would be a more effective motivation since all the children would hear about achievers and see them getting the award and would also expand knowledge about our society.

We visited 2 schools a day and spent 2 hours in each school where our trainer/teacher spoke at length about how to bring the environment learning into reality focussing on the issues of water, air and soil pollution and their impact on daily life, the economic benefit of this focus and finally called upon the children to motivate their parents to work with our society to take these improvements forward.

Of the 180 students who started with our program 174 stayed the course while 6 dropped out in the early days. 151 of them sat for the final exam with 71 passing while 80 failed. The numbers indicate the state of social disarray in our villages. Our objective to take green practices to the villages does not rely upon exam result so we are very pleased with the 174/180 attendance through the year.

Our rotating shield for most eco friendly school went to Barbatta school in the tribal belt where the Principal was highly motivated and committed. Adarsh Kumar from Balera school was 1st in the 174 students who completed the course while Raj Kumar from Mujaha was 2nd and Awadesh Kumar from Ainthpur school was 3rd.

• Barbatta School with the shield
• Adarsh Kumar 1st from Balera school
• Raj Kumar 2nd from Mujaha School
• Awadesh Kumar 3rd from Ainthpur School

Tiger Haven Society were venue partners for the U.P. bird festival 2018 held between 9th to 11th February.

The venue had displays and the Society put a display on of our founder “Billy” Arjan Singh’s books, his awards, his photographs and the written history of his long battle to save the wild life and forests of U.P. which led to the creation of the Dudhwa Sanctuary now the Tiger Reserve.

This festival is an attempt to promote Dudhwa and U.P. as a wild life tourist destination and hopefully will make the state work harder at saving the environment and wildlife that is home in the few natural spaces left.

Our stall was put up by the Paryavan Prehari team who work with us in village development and represent the Society in the wildlife week and elsewhere. Apart from the large numbers of local visitors the presence of some well-known national and international bird watchers was a positive sign of some interest in the Dudhwa Tiger reserve. Accommodation was tented and resident visitors were taken to the park in groups to see what Dudhwa has to offer.

Children from the society took part in the  Wildlife week 2017 celebrations in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve [DTR].

Deputy Director Mahaveer Kaujalgi gave away the Billy Arjan Singh Award to a team of forest guards and our children won an award for their poster and for taking part in the program.

Our 4th Annual Award function was held at the Tiger Haven Wildlife Centre on the 9th April. Of the 100 students who chose to attend our 9-month program 81 completed the course and sat for the final examination.50 children passed the examination while 31 children were unable to achieve the pass marks.

5 children from our “Paryavaran Prehri” group who work with us every Sunday on our green village project spoke about their learning and how everyone should participate in the solution to global warming and climate change.

Awards were distributed to the top 3 students from this year’s batch as well as to the toppers from each school. All the other children got completion certificates.

From the 230 children who have attended our 1 year Environment and Wildlife basic training program we have a team of children who have remained interested and committed to the cause that they were exposed to.

As a 1st we have taken the Semripurva village school ground as a environment project.
We have the necessary permissions to create an environmentally positive space which we hope will serve as a motivating model for both the children and the village inhabitants to improve their own surroundings in the same way.

Not surprisingly the girls outnumber the boys.

It is very satisfying to see these children take up work that is socially and culturally considered undignified.

It will be the village children rather than the “educated urban children” who will become the environmental warriors of the future.

They are the real hope for our country.

Children from the society took part in the Parade that starts the Wildlife week 2016 celebrations in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve [DTR].

Nearly 30 children participated and had an enjoyable morning.
The Society banner was prominently displayed.

These children participated in the various environment-related competitions that the DTR management conducts during this annual affair.

Our team won the quiz contest for the first time.

It is the most hotly contested event and the most prestigious.

The children are visibly thrilled

The Tiger Haven Society has been honoured with the the Narain Dutt Award for the Conservation of Nature. Smt. Dr. Kapila Vatsayana and Mrs Sunita Narain gave away the Silver Plaque and Award.

Brinda Dubey, Treasurer, Tiger Haven Society, receiving the Narain Dutt silver plaque for the Conservation of Nature, 2015, from Dr. Kapila Vatsayana, Chairperson of the India International Centre Project Asia.

Jairaj Singh, Chairman of the Tiger Haven Society, receiving the Narain Dutt Award for the Conservation of Nature from Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE.

The Dudhwa National Park held its annual function for 2015  where the THS sponsored two awards for exemplary contribution to wildlife and contribution during the year. The Billy Arjan Singh award went to  Ram Baran Yadav, Range Officer, Kishenpur and the Mira Balram Singh Award was presented to Shrawan Kumar and his Patrolling Team at Dudhwa.

The Tiger Haven Education Center held its year closing function on the 26th of March 2015. 10 students were awarder trophies and certificates for outstanding results. 60 of 80 students in the batch were given certificates of completion with the remaining 20 getting certificates of participation. Deputy Director of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Mr VK Singh was the chief guest.

5 students from the batch of 2014 participated in competitions held at the Annual Wildlife Week run by the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. The children took part in a quiz, a drawing and an essay writing contest. One of our students was awarded the 2nd prize in the drawing competition

All the best schools in the area participate in the prestigious function and it is an honour to have one of our students recognised.

Participants in Wildlife Week competition

After the success of year 1 of the program, the society sought permission from the local schools and Government authorities to recruit more students and train them during school hours. After positive responses from both, the Tiger Haven Education Center (THEC) is pleased to announce that we now have 80 students from 8 schools on our roll. Children attend in batches of 20 Monday to Friday. The current session began 1st September 2014.

In addition, 20 students from the batch of 2014 have continued to work with the Education Center with the 1st project being participation at the prestigious Annual Wildlife Week run by the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

45 students from 5 villages on the periphery of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve were awarded certificates of completion for the Basic Environment & Wildlife Training Program. The certificates were awarded at a convocation ceremony held at the Tiger Haven Wildlife Center. Of the 45 students, 7 were recognized for their exceptional efforts with a trophy for Outstanding Students.

First Convocation

Ms. Mita Goswami, Director, Education, of WWF-Delhi visited the Education Center and other facilities of the Tiger Haven Society to assess them on behalf of the WWF.  Ms Goswami approved of the facilities and the THS is pleased to announce that the  WWF will now be our knowledge partner. They will pay the salaries of a teacher for our educational facility, and an assistant teacher, and also supply us with the books needed to teach the children.

Children from Bansi Nagar &  Pharsaiya at the Education Center

Mr Jairaj Singh and Mrs Brinda Dubey attended Wildlife Week at the Dudhwa National Park. They were accompanied by Ms Mita Goswami, Director, Education, of WWF-Delhi who was there to assess the facility.

The Mira Balram Singh prize, which consisted of a cheque for Rs. 15,000/-, a citation and a trophy, and another prize, which was added this year, the Billy Arjan Singh prize, a cheque for Rs. 25,000/-, a citation and trophy, were both presented by Mr. V.K. Singh.
The prizes were won by two teams of DNP Forest Rangers, who had caught poachers within the DNP. Both awards are sponsored on an annual basis by the Tiger Haven Society.

Awards won by Forest Rangers, who had caught poachers within the Dudhwa NP.

The THS Education Center started its operations on the 4th of March 2013 with students from the Government School of Bansinagar/Pharsaiya Village were brought to the Wildlife Center for their first session. The Education Center aims to educate and build awareness on wildlife conservation among the youth in areas close to Dudhwa. The programme will be offered to schools totally free and will include classroom session, nature walks and interaction with conservationists and naturalists from India and in time, from various parts of the world. The Society is currently working to get more schools on board.

A commemorative First Day Cover was issued by the P & T department earlier on  November 7, 2012. Additionally, WWF has enlarged the FDC and put it up in the entrance to their building for all to see.

The wildlife centre dedicated to “Billy” Arjan Singh now has a functioning museum, a library of wildlife books collected over the years, two restored bedrooms for visiting research scholars and a training room equipped for classes of up to 30 students. The formal inauguration is planned in the coming February but Nature walks and introductory classes will be started as soon as the road becomes motor-able after the floods.

For the 1st time the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve has radio collared a Tiger and on the 15th of August this Tiger visited the wildlife centre. This was for the 1st time since being collared.

Coincidentally 15th August is Billy’s birthday so The Honorary Tiger was greeted by his brother on his birthday.

Since then we have had visits from a Rhino another Tiger and the occasional Elephant apart from the wild boars, chital and hog deer that come grazing.

The wildlife week celebrations ended on Sunday the 7th and the Mira Balram Singh award for Wild-life and Bio-diversity conservation in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve [DTR] was presented by Mr Ravi Prakash Verma [Ex MP from Kheri] to Forester Ram Kumar whose work in a very difficult range ‘Belrayan’ on the periphery of the park with heavy intrusion from local villagers was found to be of a very high order.The selection was done by a committee with representatives from the DTR, WWF India and the Society.

Forester Ram Kumar honored

All the buildings stand up on an embankment at a height above the Neora/Soheli River, which flows alongside, so that they are protected from the floods which invariably occur during the monsoons.

The old buildings have been restored as they were when Billy Arjan Singh was in residence with minor improvements in amenities such as running water and flush toilets both for visiting researchers and staff that will live there.

The first building one sees on entering the gate and driving up to the complex is the block housing the security staff who will look after the Wildlife Centre. There are three rooms, two kitchens and a covered verandah.

Next comes a toilet block, complete with flush toilets and bathing areas.

Next to that is the Office and Education Centre block. We expect to furnish the Education Centre by the end of May 2012.

The block where the visiting Researchers will stay consists of two double bedrooms, with attached bathrooms.

There is a covered verandah with plenty of space to sit and read/work.

The dining-cum-sitting room and the kitchen are next, and in the same block is the Library, which contains all of Billy Arjan Singh’s collection of wildlife books, magazines and many papers written by him and other experts in the field which were in his collection.

After that is the Museum,  where all his photographs – some of them famous iconic views – have been hung, along with some other articles of interest, such as his collection of animal skulls and antlers, the weights he lifted, and of course all his medals, awards and citations.

The last building in the Complex is the Veterinary Centre, which will be equipped and become operational later, when we have adequate funds.

The Tiger Haven Society has achieved this work with donations from Billy Arjan Singh’s family and a few friends.

We have received no grants from any wildlife organizations.

Now that the Centre is ready to be used, we hope that some wildlife organizations will express interest in giving grants to researchers to come and use the facilities as well as support the education and veterinary centre.

Building Activities – Latest Photographs