Women Guards of Kaziranga Brave all Challenges to Protect Wildlife in India

This story by Arpita Das Choudhury and co-written by Tanuj Dhar originally appeared on Global Voices on November 3, 2025.

On a cold autumn morning, as the dim dawn broke in the jungles of Sonitpur district of the state of Assam in northeast India, a soft sound outside woke Priyanka from her restless sleep. She could faintly hear the scared langurs making warning calls from afar. Not used to living in the heart of a national park, she carefully opened the door without disturbing her sleeping roommates.

In the dim morning light, she was amazed to see two tigers on the highland next to their camp, likely having spent the night there. “This is what life in the jungle is like,” remarked 23-year-old Priyanka Bharali when met with Global Voices just two months after the incident in Kaziranga National Park (KNP). She is from Garbhaga village in Sivsagar district of Assam.

When Mitali saw an advertisement in the local newspaper recruiting female forest guards, she quickly applied, as she had always longed for a path that let her stay close to nature.“The selection process was tough, but I was prepared to overcome every challenge,” said 27-year-old Mitali Boruah from Gharmara village in Lakhimpur district. Mitali was later selected as one of 5,000 women frontline personnel operating actively in the forests of India.

Work at Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park covers 430 square kilometers, stretching from the Karbi Anglong hills in the south to the Brahmaputra River in the north. National Highway 37 cuts through its five ranges — Burhapahar, Bagori, Kohora, Agoratoli, and Biswanath — leading to frequent conflicts between humans and animals.

Kaziranga, a natural home for one-horned rhinos, last recorded a poaching case in 2021.

“These girls aren’t hired specifically to catch poachers, but if they notice anyone suspicious in the park during the day, they immediately inform the ranger’s office,” explains Suniya Pegu.

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“Our patrols begin at 5 a.m., checking certain areas for animal deaths or signs of poaching,” Dipanjali says. “Later, we walk along the fences armed with 7.62 mm SLRs, and night patrols can continue until 10 p.m.”

KNP Field Director Sonali Ghosh told Global Voices, “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.”

Bidyut Borah explains, “They haven’t faced poachers directly yet, but they use ‘Area Domination,’ controlling the nearby embankments inside KNP to prevent poachers from entering Kaziranga.”

“Patrolling in the jungle with a gun was never a part of my imagination. At first, it felt heavy, and my hands shook while shooting because I was scared of missing my target. But over time, I got the hang of it,” says 27-year-old Rashmi Borah, who became a forest guard soon after starting her married life in Jorhat.

“When I first applied for this job, my family objected, saying it was meant for men, and it was hard to convince them,” says 21-year-old Dipanjali Boraik from Swarnapur Tea Estate in Jorhat district. But her family eventually supported her wholeheartedly.

Farmers’ daughters, Priyanka Bharali, Mitali Boruah, Rashmi Borah, and Dipanjali Boraik, joined as “Van Durgas,” or the “Goddesses of the Forest,” in August 2023 in Kaziranga National Park.

Allure of the forest

“The jungle’s sounds fascinated me, so I made it my mission to face all the challenges of dwelling in a forest for my duty,” says Mitali.

“These girls were trained at the 11th Assam Police Battalion in Dergaon, but they weren’t used to living in the jungle,” says Suniya Pegu, head of the “Van Durgas” in the Eastern Agoratoli range of Kaziranga National Park, expanding between Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam. She also said that they were trained in combat, handling emergencies, staying physically fit, using weapons, shooting, and conducting night exercises.

Staying at “King Cobra Camp,” Dipanjali was initially afraid of the snakes around her. “Snakes are everywhere except in winter. During summer and the rainy season, we move very carefully,” she explains. “Our camp is on stilts, but the bathing area is on the ground, where we often see baby snakes curled up.” At first, it scared her, but over time, she got used to it.

“These girls are very courageous; forest life was a completely new experience for them,” says Bidyut Bikash Borah, Range Officer of Agoratoli. He adds, “They were nervous in the beginning, but they adapted quickly and now carry out their duties smoothly.”

Borah explains that, in addition to teaching different conservation methods, “We regularly train them in skills like handling snakes, bird watching, and identifying trees and grasses.”

Leaving her husband and family in Jorhat to work in Kaziranga was not easy. “I chose forest guard as my first preference on the application. It was a tough choice after marriage, but I joined,” Rashmi says.

Appreciating their bravery, KNP Field Director Sonali Ghosh told Global Voices during a phone interview, “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.”

The camps in KNP use solar panels, and workers must ration energy use to avoid running out. “At night, we hear animals near our rooms but can’t turn on the lights as it might scare them, so we stay quiet,” says Priyanka. We always keep our torches ready for emergencies.”

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Duty defying the odds

Rashmi and Priyanka, who have been chased multiple times by rhinos and elephants while patrolling in vehicles, say, “Frequent intrusions make the animals angry. We stay very careful in the jungle and sometimes use blank shots to scare them away.”

Kaziranga is well-known for severe floods that cause damage almost every monsoon.

“During floods, roads to the camps are blocked, there’s no electricity, and clean drinking water is scarce,” says Mitali. “Even animals like tigers take shelter in the highlands close to our camp.”

“We walk barefoot through flooded areas, helping mother rhinos and their calves cross water-covered roads,” says Dipanjali. “We also ask drivers to slow down to prevent accidents that could harm.”

The guards use inflated rubber boats to navigate the flooded forest. “If an animal gets trapped, we try to guide it from a safe distance,” says Suniya.

Praising their commitment, Ghosh says, “They deal with tough conditions during floods.”

During floods, the highlands get submerged, and rhinos along with other animals move toward higher areas in the Karbi Anglong Hills across the national highway.

“During the July 2024 flood, NH 715 along the park’s southern edge became chaotic,” says Ghosh, “They helped control traffic, guided animals safely through the nine corridors, rescued stranded animals, and continued anti-poaching work, which led to the lowest-ever animal deaths caused by humans.”

As the women guards overcome every challenge, they receive praise from officers and local communities. Bidyut Borah says, “These girls are role models. Working in such tough conditions isn’t easy, and everyone should hear their brave stories.

[VP]

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