Villagers give water to cheetah in MP’s Sheopur, but forests face water crisis

Weeks after driving cheetahs away with stones, villagers in Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh, showed a surprising change in behaviour. A viral video captured them offering water to a mother cheetah and her cubs after the animals hunted goats near their fields.

The female cheetah, Jwala, and her four cubs had ventured out of Kuno National Park into a nearby village. After killing around six goats, they rested in a shaded area close to the fields. Instead of reacting with fear or anger, a local villager approached the cheetahs with a steel plate filled with water.

Cheetah Jwala hunted goats, rested

In the video, villagers watched as Jwala and her cubs slowly got up and drank from the plate. They showed no signs of aggression. Some villagers even tried to speak to the animals, calling out “come, come,” hoping they might understand.

“The monitoring team is trained to keep a safe distance from cheetahs, and only authorised staff are allowed to approach them for specific tasks. In this case, the field staff broke protocol and acted irresponsibly. Filming the incident and sharing it on social media further violated the guidelines and caused unnecessary public attention,” said the official release.

The video has since gone viral, with many viewers praising the villagers’ calm response and growing understanding of wildlife.

Offering water or milk to #cheetahs by villagers is not a good sign for #wildlife conservation. This may lead to dangerous consequences. As usual, the forest is undisturbed.@CMMadhyaPradesh @ntca_india @PMOIndia @KunoNationalPrk @Collectorsheop1 pic.twitter.com/3iIIYbd8Kn

— ajay dubey (@Ajaydubey9) April 5, 2025

On April 4, cheetah Jwala and her four cubs left Kuno National Park and entered nearby farmland in the Agra range. They hunted several goats and rested under a tree near a village after eating.

At that time, villagers had pelted stones at them to protect their livestock. That encounter reflected the tension and fear many locals felt toward the cheetahs reintroduced under India’s cheetah conservation programme.

This recent act of kindness marks a shift. Forest officials believe the villagers are beginning to see the animals not just as threats, but as part of the region’s ecosystem. “They’re slowly learning. But we don’t want them to get too close or start bonding with the animals,” a forest officer said. “That can create future risks—for both the people and the cheetahs.” 

This recent act of kindness marks a shift. Forest officials believe the villagers are beginning to see the animals not just as threats, but as part of the region’s ecosystem. “They’re slowly learning. But we don’t want them to get too close or start bonding with the animals,” a forest officer said. “That can create future risks—for both the people and the cheetahs.”

Tigers hunted cattle, water shortage caused

While this act may appear as a gesture of kindness, it raises an important question: What about the growing water crisis in these forests? Some experts expressed concern about the video. They point out that the water bodies inside the forest are drying up rapidly due to poor maintenance. As a result, animals are increasingly turning to nearby residential areas for water.

In the month of march two tigers camped near the Bhojpur temple, about 28 km from Bhopal. The villagers of Imaliya, located in the Raisen district, faced numerous problems due to this. The tigers, drawn by the lack of water in the forest, ventured into the village where they hunted cattle. After nearly a month, the tigers were safely rescued and relocated to the Satpura Tiger Reserve in early April.

In conversation with Ground Report, a villager shared how the tiger would appear near the Betwa river during the afternoons, and at night, it would prey on livestock. This highlights the direct consequences of dwindling water resources within the forest, which push wildlife into human settlements.

The state forest department has recognized the issue and decided to conduct a water audit to address the deteriorating condition of water structures in the forests. An initial inspection revealed that many water structures in the Raisen district are filled with silt. This comes despite a significant investment of Rs 3.5 crore for constructing these water bodies across 25 forest ranges in Madhya Pradesh.

Speaking to a Hindi daily, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests L Krishnamurthy confirmed that the audit is ongoing to assess water shortages. The forest department is actively working to prevent future water crises and ensure that such situations do not escalate, which would ultimately affect both the wildlife and surrounding communities.

As per forest protocol, the monitoring team must guide cheetahs back into the forest to prevent conflict with people. When cheetahs move near farms or villages, extra staff is brought in. This time, help came from the Agra range.

Forest officials also warn that the cheetahs are wild animals and should not be treated like pets. They stress the importance of maintaining a safe distance and avoiding any form of interaction that could alter the animals’ behaviour.

Still, this moment stood out as a rare sign of empathy. For now, the cheetahs roam freely, and villagers—once fearful—seem more willing to coexist, at least from a distance.

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