As 2024 comes to an end, we at For Tigers are proud to reflect on a year of impactful progress and meaningful achievements in captive tiger welfare. Guided by our mission to improve the lives of tigers in captivity, this year has been filled with collaboration, innovation, and growth. Here’s an in-depth look at what we’ve accomplished and how we’re preparing for an even stronger 2025:
Providing Critical Support for Rescued Tigers
This year, we worked alongside Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) continuing to fundraise for the care of tigers rescued from the Mukdahan Tiger Farm in Thailand. These efforts helped provide essential food and resources for these tigers, ensuring their health and well-being during a challenging transitional period.
Our involvement highlights the ongoing need for emergency support in captive tiger welfare, and we remain committed to addressing these urgent needs whenever they arise. Working together with WFFT also shows how these collaborations are instrumental in making lasting changes. We at For Tigers do not have any facilities of our own, but through ongoing collaborative efforts, we have been able to make a much greater impact than we could have on our own.
Enrichment Support: Funding Tiger Balls for Improved Tiger Welfare
Enrichment continues to be a cornerstone of our work. This year, we funded the provision of tiger balls—large, durable toys designed for mental and physical stimulation—for the Tiger Temple tigers residing at the Department of National Parks (DNP) facilities in Thailand and Tiger World. These enrichment toys have been well-received, providing tigers with opportunities to exhibit natural behaviours such as pouncing, grabbing and stalking.
This small but meaningful initiative is part of our broader mission to improve the day-to-day lives of captive tigers while promoting the importance of enrichment in welfare programs.
Advancing Knowledge
Creating a Comprehensive Enrichment Manual
Recognizing the critical role of enrichment in tiger welfare, we created a detailed enrichment manual this year. This practical, science-based guide equips facilities with simple, quick strategies to implement effective enrichment programs, enhancing the mental and physical well-being of captive tigers. In addition to background information on different types of enrichment, the manual includes detailed examples of enrichment items and activities, with templates for creating and assessing enrichment programs in a simple and cost-efficient manner.
To maximize its reach, we translated the manual into Thai, ensuring that it is accessible to local keepers and facility staff. This bilingual resource serves as a foundational tool in our workshops and enrichment initiatives, bridging the gap between global welfare standards and local implementation.
Delivering a Highly Successful Enrichment Workshop
In addition to the enrichment manual, we hosted our first tiger enrichment workshop in Thailand, providing hands-on training to local keepers at Tiger World. This workshop was a resounding success, with participants leaving equipped with practical skills to create and implement enrichment programs tailored to their tigers' needs. We followed this enrichment workshop up with a detailed run-through of our new enrichment manual, where keepers could ask questions about how to use it in their day-to-day work.
We are now actively identifying additional facilities across Thailand where this workshop can be delivered, expanding its reach and impact. By fostering collaboration with local tiger keepers and opting for a grass-roots approach, we aim to create sustainable welfare improvements that reduce reliance on external support.
Sharing Our Expertise on the Global Stage
This year, two of our trustees presented at the 32nd SEAZA (Southeast Asian Zoos and Aquariums) conference, this year held in Taipei. One presentation focused on the role of enrichment workshops and collaborative approaches in improving captive tiger welfare, while the other highlighted the issues of animal-visitor interactions within zoos in SE Asia across all species, not just tigers.
This international platform allowed us to share our insights with experts from across the region while learning from the experiences of others. It reaffirmed the importance of regional partnerships in driving meaningful and sustainable change for captive wildlife.
Conducting Welfare Assessments Across Thailand
In 2024, we continued our annual welfare assessments. We conducted welfare assessments at 36 zoos across Thailand. These comprehensive evaluations reviewed housing, enrichment, health care, and overall welfare practices showing us where the main issues lie and if any improvements or changes were to be found. We conduct our assessments using our own welfare assessment framework, which is updated and refined through each yearly assessment round.
Our assessments help us identify problem areas throughout Thailand when it comes to captive tiger welfare. They also enable us to identify staff and facilities in need of more educational material and resources, and with the potential to accept our tiger enrichment workshop in the future.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Advocates
This year, we welcomed an intern who contributed valuable insights and assistance to our projects. She joined us during our welfare assessments in June, providing valuable feedback on our welfare assessment, while also learning the process within the field. Her dedication and enthusiasm reaffirmed the importance of mentorship in fostering future animal welfare advocates.
Additionally, we were part of the Live Briefs programme at Anglia Ruskin University, providing insight into the communications and social media side of running an animal welfare charity. Students were provided a brief, and helped us come up with new, more meaningful ways to engage with the public when spreading awareness of captive tiger welfare issues.
Researched-based publications
Finally, this year, we published two peer-reviewed papers based on our work in tiger welfare. One was a detailed overview of tiger welfare in Thai facilities, using data collected from our annual welfare assessments. The second, highlighted the growing issue of animal-visitor interactions within facilities in the entire SE Asia region. These publications add to the growing body of knowledge in the field and highlight the importance of evidence-based approaches to improving welfare.
By sharing our findings through academic channels, we aim to inspire and inform others working in the animal welfare space, ensuring that practical initiatives are supported by robust scientific evidence.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we prepare for 2025, we’re excited to build on this year’s successes. Our goals include:
Expanding our enrichment workshops to reach more facilities across Thailand, ensuring more keepers and tigers, benefit from this training.
Conducting follow-ups to evaluate the long-term impact of our tiger enrichment workshops and identify areas for further support.
Continuing to fund enrichment tools, like tiger balls, to enhance the daily lives of captive tigers at the DNP.
Publishing new research to inform best practices and drive innovation in the field.
Strengthening our partnerships with local stakeholders to ensure sustainable, long-term welfare improvements.
Thank You for Your Support
None of these achievements would have been possible without the support of our donors, partners, and the dedicated individuals who share our vision. Your contributions, whether through funding, engagement, or collaboration, have helped us take significant strides toward improving the lives of captive tigers in Thailand.
We look forward to working together in 2025 and beyond to create a brighter future for these incredible animals.