Most successful innovative conservation campaign by USAID

City Desk:

In early 2016, a brightly painted 40-foot bus rolled out of Dhaka, carrying not commuters but a mission. Its design caught eyes immediately: shaped like a tiger, roaring in orange and black, it was a moving museum and a traveling classroom. Its purpose was urgent and ambitious to bring the Sundarbans and its tigers into the heart of Bangladesh, reminding us all that the Bengal tiger, our national pride, was under threat.

This was the TigerCaravan, and it became one of the most innovative tools ever used to spread messages of biodiversity conservation in the country.

The caravan was not an isolated effort. It originated from the Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity (Bagh), a flagship environmental project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Under the leadership of the Bangladesh Forest Department, the project was implemented by WildTeam, a national NGO focused on enhancing the conservation status of key species and habitats in Bangladesh. Together, this coalition envisioned a campaign that aimed to go beyond reports and policies, to reach people directly in their streets, schools, and marketplaces, reports UNB.

As the person leading the communication and outreach functions of the USAID Bagh Activity, I was one of the team members tasked with developing and implementing its communication strategy, branding, and partnership mobilization. The TigerCaravan was at the center of this vision. We designed it not simply as a vehicle but as an experience. Inside the bus, visitors entered a recreated landscape of the Sundarbans, complete with models of tigers and deer, art displays, and multimedia exhibits. At night, the bus transformed into a mobile film unit, projecting documentaries on conservation under the open sky.

Traveling alongside was TigerTheater, a troupe of young performers who staged more than 200 street dramas, dramatizing the relationship between people and nature with costumes, music, and storytelling.

Over four months, starting in February 2016, the caravan visited 47 districts and staged more than 200 exhibitions and performances.