Jul 2025
The Corbett Foundation: Remote Villages in Kuno Are Embracing Cheetah Conservation
In 2022, cheetahs returned to the Indian soil after seven decades of extinction. Their new home, Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, is not just a protected landscape but a living one, with over 50 villages dotting its edge. In these remote settlements, the arrival of a new predator presents both an ecological opportunity and a complex social challenge.
Known for its ground-level conservation work across India’s key tiger and bustard habitats, The Corbett Foundation (TCF) partnered with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department (MPFD), Late Ms. Devaki Jariwala and Big Cat Rescue, USA to ensure that cheetah conservation in Kuno is rooted in local realities and is led by community trust.
Over the past two and a half years, TCF has supported the park's cheetah reintroduction project by blending species monitoring with human development initiatives. One of their first interventions was bringing light to some of the region’s most underserved homes.
“Without light, we lived in constant worry. Our children struggled to study, and we had to guard our fields in the dark, never knowing what wild animal might appear. But things changed when solar home and streetlights were installed in our village. Now, our children can study after dark, and we can watch over our crops with a sense of safety. These lights have given us more than just visibility, they've brought us peace of mind.” -Mohan Adivasi, Resident of Mohan ki Patari
So far, TCF has provided:
- 299 solar home-lighting kits for households in off-grid villages
- 120 solar streetlights and solar home lightings for forest camps
- 30 water storage tanks and 20 solar-powered street lights to support both human and wildlife needs
- Facilitated quick compensation in case of over 120 cattle kills made by leopards
- Over 100 people provided livelihood skills, education support
- Reached to over 1000 children through 60+ awareness programmes
These basic yet essential resources have strengthened community-forest relationships and allowed TCF to launch deeper engagements like awareness drives, cheetah monitoring support, and regular sensitization workshops to encourage safe and informed coexistence.
“I did not know much about the wildlife around me or why it mattered. But ever since the cheetahs arrived, I’ve become curious to learn more,” said Nandini, a participant at a TCF-led naturalist training workshop. “I feel proud to share what I’ve learned with others.”
TCF’s team also trains frontline forest staff in monitoring wildlife and supports local youth in cheetah movement tracking, which is an essential task as the cheetahs adapt to their new home. This data supports the ongoing research and conflict-prevention strategies, ensuring both community safety and species protection.
TCF is positioning conservation as a shared goal, creating more than just a buffer for wildlife. They are creating a constituency of rural residents who see cheetahs not as a threat, but as a legacy worth protecting. The progress made so far in Kuno is a glimpse of what is possible when collective efforts come together. It speaks to the quiet power of collective will, where communities, conservationists, and supporters walk towards a shared vision of coexistence.