The hotelier, which is part of The Indian Hotels Company Limited, has been working with the Pardhi community to train them as naturalist guides who will be leading walking safaris through the park, which is famous for its tigers.
The Pardhi tribe used to be involved in poaching leading to tigers nearly disappearing from the park in Madhya Pradesh a decade ago. But this changed following the implementation of strict anti-poaching laws allowing the tiger population to recover to reach numbers as high as 45.
Training members of the tribe to become jungle guides is creating a new way for them to make a living – 20 Pardhis have now fully qualified as guides.
