A series of portraits shot in association with Tiger Watch (an NGO based in Ranthambore National Park – Rajasthan India. Its primary goal is the conservation and protection of wildlife and its natural habitat.).
Long ago, the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) was the king of the forest and would be found abundantly around Asia. Now, after centuries of persistent hunting, fewer than 2500 are found in the wild, concentrated in small populations in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar.
The Moghiyas are a tribe of traditional tiger poachers, expert at tracking animals and living from the resources of the forest. Tiger Watch developed a revolutionary program that offers a sustainable solution to tiger poaching happening in Ranthambore by offering rehabilitation and alternative means of livelihood to this poverty-stricken tribal community. The first photographs are portraying Jugraj, an ex-poacher who, thanks to Tiger Watch’s rehabilitation program, is now using his skills in order to protect the tigers, by working in the Forest Department.