I am Rosemary Rudd the chairperson of the organization. I became very moved at the plight of the elephants especially in 1991 after reading a compelling and passionate article, written by Will Travers of Born Free. Will had just returned from Kenya, where he witnessed the burning of about 12 tones of ivory, confiscated on the orders of President Moi. In addition the trauma of the little orphaned elephants left behind by their slaughtered parents so distressed me that I knew that it was in this cause that my destiny lay. Indeed quite recently 31 elephants have been slaughtered in the Congo. Elephants, rhinos, gorillas and tigers too are critically at risk in today’s world. As elephants are sacrificed solely for their tusks (and never buy or even admire any ivory ornaments), so rhinos are slaughtered just for their horns to provide aphrodisiacs for some idiotic males in the Far East. The Northern White Rhino in the Garamba park in the Congo is in immediate danger of extinction. Nursing gorillas and chimpanzees are shot to facilitate the capture of their young, who end up on Mediterranean beaches for photographing with holidaying children, a mercenary and merciless business.

Thanks to the support in TV programmes such as David Attenborough’s we are all familiar with the wild life of Africa and beyond. We admire those magnificent animals that roam free in their natural habitats. They share this planet with us. They were here before us because man was the last species to appear on earth. They give an added interest and excitement to our lives.

The courageous park guards who protect the animals and keep the poachers at bay are often dreadfully under equipped. They need jeeps, weapons, communication equipment to do their work properly. These wonderful men work to protect our wild life. They need and deserve our support.

Our Trust raises funds by running sales of work, art exhibitions, fashion shows, craft fairs and pub quizzes and sponsored walks. Maybe you have some ideas about other means of fund raising among your friends. Just ring me at Phone No. +353 1 285-6672 and I will be delighted to hear from you.

Some smart folk may say that we are too concerned about the animals of the tropics and have no thought for the people who are so often afflicted by famine, malnutrition, disease and high mortality. But that is where these smart folk are very wrong. We are intensely concerned about these people. We plan to help the native population through their animals. Wildlife tourism and Safari trekking is an every growing popular tourist trade. By preserving the wild life we are providing these people with a substantially improved livelihood. Man and animals are complimentary to each other.

For many people the tiger is a savage killer, the terror of the jungle through which he roams. This picture has been nurtured by travel narratives seeking the spectacular and by sportsmen to create a macho image. The facts are quite different, as a little reflection will make clear. A big tiger will weigh between 400 and 500lbs and need 40-50lbs meat for a full meal. He must kill to live but, in spite of his efficiency as a predator, only about one hunt in 15 or 20 will, on average, bring success. He needs at least one medium-sized deer per week – spotted deer or Indian Chital, for instance – and if success fails him for more than two weeks most likely he will be too weak to hunt effectively and must face starvation. Therefore, peak condition is essential to survival for a carnivore, and to risk even a broken tooth or damaged claw – unnecessarily – is to court disaster by reducing hunting efficiency below the essential limit.

So a tiger at ease normally pays little attention to passing humans, unless to display curiosity, and will even take avoiding action should they meet by chance in the jungle. The only circumstances which will provoke a normal individual to depart from this behavior is where one feels threatened in some way, and then the reaction – terrifying though it may be – is most usually a mock charge, not pressed home to completion. It is the reaction of any carnivore – your pet dog or cat, for instance – to threat, if the animal feels cornered, backed in against an obstacle, for instance. Or, perhaps at a kill in the jungle, should your elephant take you between a tiger and his dinner, what he sees as the potential loss of a meal is likely to raise his hackles. Perhaps, too, a starving animal may be provoked by hunger, but even this seems to be a rare eventuality.

There is one danger in the jungle which is likely to be extremely serious, a tigress with young will very often defend them to the death against anything which she sees as a potential threat. Such happened to a famous English ornithologist in the jungles of the Corbett National Park in northern India a few years ago. He unwisely followed on foot into the forest a peculiar bird call and stumbled on a tigress with cubs who promptly charged and killed him. His family and colleagues were quick to admit that it was a foolish thing to do. This sad episode recalls two basic elements of natural lore. A century ago Rudyard Kipling reminded his young readers of one – there is the Law of the Jungle, to which those who go there must adhere. And also, the Tiger is not a savage wild animal but as King of the Jungle he can, when provoked, be an exceedingly dangerous one.