Although it may shock you, this is entirely true! One of the few places on earth where leopards and humans live in harmony is Bera Village, popularly known as the Leopard Country.  Bera is a gorgeous piece of land surrounded by the Aravalli Hills and is situated between Udaipur and Jodhpur in central Rajasthan. 

The peaceful coexistence of residents and leopards has shocked the world and distinguished this Indian community from others. The Rajasthani desert's iconic views will greet you as soon as you enter the village. The locals are incredibly friendly and welcoming.  These folks are part of the Rebari, a nomadic shepherding group that arrived from Balochistan thousands of years ago and made their home here.

This community has a history dating back more than a thousand years with leopards, one of the most feared animals in the world. Bera now is one of the locations with the greatest concentration of big cats in India. However, other than a few livestock, they have never caused harm to any humans.

Villagers and leopards get along so well in this area that safari tour companies advertise their packages with catchy phrases like "If you don't see a leopard, you'll get your money back!" They are that confident of spotting a leopard.

Author and philanthropist Sundeep Bhutoria first came upon this land during an accidental trip to the region with his close friend and environmentalist Shatrunjay Pratap Singh. Taking advantage of the lockdown, he decided to write about his time in Bera, and the result was the book- The Bera Bond.