# Herders quitting, skills for tiger coexistence disappearing 2026-08-10T12:03:23+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A commentary on Mongabay-India reports that herders in the Kanha-Pench corridor, which connects two tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, are quitting their occupation due to low wages, loss of pastures, and the risk of tiger attacks. The 5,900 sq km corridor, home to 97 tigers and over 400 villages, recorded more than 14,000 cattle killed by tigers and leopards across the state in 2024, 25. Herders possess specialised knowledge to detect predators, locate livestock killed, and navigate government compensation, thereby mediating tensions between cattle-holders and the forest department. As herding declines, this intergenerational knowledge and ethic of coexistence disappear, undermining conservation efforts that rarely account for it. ## Coverage - india.mongabay.com Tags: herders, Human-wildlife conflict, Kanha-Pench corridor, Madhya Pradesh, tiger conservation, traditional knowledge Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/herders-quitting-skills-for-tiger-coexistence-disappearing/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/herders-quitting-skills-for-tiger-coexistence-disappearing/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.