#hunterstoprotectors

Once royal trackers and hunters, the Pardhi community of Panna now uses its age-old forest skills to protect the very wildlife it once pursued.

Once hunters of Mangalajodi’s wetland birds, the villagers of this Odisha community have, since 1998, transformed into dedicated conservationists and guardians of their local habitat.

In Manipur’s Jessami Village, the presence of Mrs Hume’s pheasant is slowly inspiring locals to abandon hunting and protect its habitat.

Anil Mistry’s life changed the day he saw a dying doe in the Sundarbans. Once a poacher, he is now a conservationist who has saved 70 tigers and empowered locals with safer livelihoods.

Even young children in the Irula tribe are trained in catching venomous snakes and then tapping their venom.

‘Billy’ Arjan Singh, once a hunter, became a legendary conservationist dedicated to saving India's tigers, transforming Dudhwa into a tiger reserve and founding 'Tiger Haven'. His tireless efforts earned him global recognition and reshaped India's wildlife conservation narrative.

If you happen to visit villages near the jungles of Nainital, you will hear one name above all others, quite prominently- Corbett.