TOFT Supporters & Friends

The Travel Operators for Tigers campaign seeks to advocate, initiate and support better wildlife tourism practices and we could not do this without support from influencial individuals and organisations who are prepared to publicise, help influence policy and procedures, and endorse better practice on behalf of the campaign.

Bittu Saghal

Bittu Saghal is one of India’s most respected authors, editors and conservationists, who has been raising awareness in India and across the globe of its disappearing natural heritage, since 1981, with his world class conservation and environment magazine, Sanctuary Asia which he founded. He is also instigator of the Kids for Tigers, the Sanctuary Tiger Programme that networks a million Indian children about the environment. Bittu has recently met with Lord Nicholas Stern and Al Gore, in India, to discuss the implications of climate change on the shrinking habitat of tigers and human communities. His support and advice for TOFT as a campaign dedicating to use tourism more effectively for Wildlife habitat protection is much valued. Sanctuary magazines are producing in association with TOFT, a range of Pocket Guidebooks in both English and Hindi as part of our combined commitment to better interpretation and knowledge amongst visitors to India’s premier Tiger parks.

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Colonel John Blashford-Snell OBE

One of the world’s most respected explorers, a keen conservationist and veteran of over 60 expeditions, Col Blashford-Snell was the first to navigate the Blue Nile and the Zaire rivers, before forming the Scientific Exploration Society.

With Prince Charles’ backing he founded the highly successful youth expeditionary organisations, Operation Drake then Operation Raleigh.

Awarded the OBE in 2000, he is also the author of several books including ‘In the Steps of Stanley’,’ Mammoth Hunt’ based on his elephant and Tiger adventures in Nepal and India and his autobiography ‘ Something Lost Behind the Ranges’.

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Mark Carwardine

Zoologist Mark Carwardine is an award-winning writer, magazine columnist, widely published photographer, consultant, broadcaster and lecturer.

He has just begun filming the BBC-TV series of Last Chance to See – the book he wrote with Douglas Adams – which he is co-presenting with Stephen Fry. He also presented the weekly half-hour programme, Nature, on BBC Radio 4 for many years (and has presented many other programmes and series for Radio 4).

He has written more than 50 books – these include the best-selling field guide to whales, dolphins and porpoises ever published. Mark has an extensive collection of wildlife, nature and environment photographs taken on all seven continents and in more than a hundred countries – sold through picture agencies around the world and through this website. And in 2008, for the fourth consecutive year, Mark will be Chairman of the Judging Panel for the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.

“Well done – TOFT is an excellent initiative and I am happy to lend my name to it.”

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Stanley Johnson

Stanley Johnson is a former Conservative member of the European Parliament (MEP) where he served (1979-1984) as Vice Chairman of the Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, at the same time as chairing the Global Tiger Forum.

He has also worked in the European Commission (1973-1979) as Head of the Prevention of Pollution division and (1984-1994) as Senior Adviser to DG Environment and as Director of Energy Policy.

Stanley has been an adviser to Price Waterhouse Coopers, a director of ERM, an environmental consultancy, and a trustee of the Earthwatch Institute. He is currently a Trustee of Plant life International and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, as well as being an environmental adviser to Jupiter Asset Management.

He has had ten books published dealing with environmental issues, including the Politics of the Environment, the Earth Summit and the Environmental Policy of the European Communities. He has also had nine novels published, including The Commissioner which was made into a film starring John Hurt.

In 1984 he was awarded the Greenpeace Prize for Outstanding Services to the Environment and in the same year the RSPCA Richard Martin award for services to animal welfare.

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Stephen Mills

“I am delighted for you to use my name as a sincere supporter”

Stephen Mills has been a professional naturalist all his working life. As a leading wildlife filmmaker he has nearly been ‘eaten’ or ‘trampled’ on by most of the world’s big animals. Sustaining enthusiasm helps to keep conservation on the boil. Stephen has over 30 television films to his credit, has worked on major BBC series like Land of the Tiger, and The Private Life of Plants and is a past chairman of the International Association of Wildlife Film-makers. He is also well known for his writing, not least in BBC Wildlife Magazine where he has been a regular contributor since the magazine’s inception. He recently published a beautiful book entitled ‘Tiger’ and is now Campaign Director for the well known wildlife investigation charity, EIA.

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