Newly recruited women forest guards known as “Van Durgas” (“Goddesses of the Forest”) have been working in difficult flooded terrain to protect the animals at the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Assam, India. Farmers’ daughters from rural Assam, including Priyanka Bharali from Garbhaga village in Sivsagar district, and Mitali Boruah from Gharmara village in Lakhimpur district, left their families to take on a demanding frontline role inside one of India’s most wildlife‑rich landscapes.
Kaziranga National Park covers 430 square kilometres from the Karbi Anglong hills to the Brahmaputra River, with a national highway cutting through five ranges and increasing the risk of deadly collisions for many animals, including one‑horned rhinoceros. The women, assigned to some of the most vulnerable forest camps, patrol from early morning to late at night, monitor for carcasses and signs of poaching, and use “Area Domination” on embankments to prevent armed intruders from entering the park.
KNP Field Director Sonali Ghosh described how these rural women were prepared for such responsibility, saying, “The girls are assigned to some of the most vulnerable camps and receive the same training as the men. They also help prevent poaching by working with village women, who are sometimes involved in poaching networks…Most of these girls come from rural areas, and some are from villages near KNP, so they already have some familiarity with the land. After receiving rigorous training, they became more confident about working in the jungle.”Living in stilted forest camps run on solar power, the women ration electricity at night and move quietly so as not to frighten nearby animals, keeping torches ready for emergencies. During floods, they walk barefoot through waterlogged tracks, guide mother rhinos and calves across submerged roads, and use inflated boats to steer trapped animals to safety. There are over 5,000 women frontline personnel operating actively in the forests of India.
