NEW DELHI: Keeping an eye on India’s borders is not the only task two Border Security Force (BSF) officers are engaged in. Assistant Commandants Amit Goswamy and Manu Locha, posted in the BSF’s Anti-Naxal Wing in Odisha, believe it is necessary for the forces to understand the wildlife of the remote and unexplored areas they guard.
Goswamy has picked up the camera to document the wildlife of the country’s borders. “I have a passion for wildlife, and through this documentary I want to create awareness among the forces about the impact of animal poaching. Animal parts smuggling funds Naxals. If we can stop it, it will be in national interest,” he says. “Wildlife crime is not just an ecological issue but also a social one threatening survival of humans. I want a copy of the documentary to be kept in each BSF battalion so that soldiers have better knowledge about sensitive species of animals.”
Locha supports the project with technical knowledge.
After completing M Sc from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun, Goswamy did his field research in Ranthambore. He has sent his 28-minute documentary, Chronicles of a Wildlifer, to film festivals CMS Vatawaran (organised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests) and Vasundhra. He now making a documentary on an unknown Odisha tribe.
Keeping an eye on India’s borders is not the only task two Border Security Force (BSF) officers are engaged in. Assistant Commandants Amit Goswamy and Manu Locha, posted in the BSF’s Anti-Naxal Wing in Odisha, believe it is necessary for the forces to understand the wildlife of the remote and unexplored areas they guard.
Goswamy has picked up the camera to document the wildlife of the country’s borders. “I have a passion for wildlife, and through this documentary I want to create awareness among the forces about the impact of animal poaching. Animal parts smuggling funds Naxals. If we can stop it, it will be in national interest,” he says. “Wildlife crime is not just an ecological issue but also a social one threatening survival of humans. I want a copy of the documentary to be kept in each BSF battalion so that soldiers have better knowledge about sensitive species of animals.”
Locha supports the project with technical knowledge.
After completing M Sc from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun, Goswamy did his field research in Ranthambore. He has sent his 28-minute documentary, Chronicles of a Wildlifer, to film festivals CMS Vatawaran (organised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests) and Vasundhra. He now making a documentary on an unknown Odisha tribe.