By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 5: Dawn on the forested ridges of South West Khasi Hills can echo with a very different thunder from rifle fire: the low, urgent rumble of a matriarch leading her herd across the Indo-Bangladesh frontier. In these same shadows, Border Security Force (BSF) sentries often train their binoculars on infiltrators or smugglers, yet it is the sudden appearance of tusked silhouettes that now tests nerves and split-second judgment.
Recognising the thin line between security duty and survival on a living corridor, the Meghalaya Forest department spent July 3 coaching the 193rd BSF Battalion at Ranikor’s Gumaghat Border Outpost on how to share the frontier with its most formidable non-human commuters.
The outreach sessions delved into human-elephant conflict and the booming illicit trade in wildlife that exploits porous borders.
Specialists from Aaranyak’s Elephant Research and Conservation Division unpacked elephant behaviour, explaining how shifting wind, moonlit crops and broken salt licks pull herds dangerously close to sentry posts.
On the other hand, field biologists, Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar and Abhijit Baruah, walked BSF troops through “forest-smart” tactics—reading fresh footprints, gauging warning rumbles and retreating without panic—to avert clashes that can turn lethal for both animals and soldiers.
Furthermore, illegal wildlife routes, mapped from rhino horn to pangolin scales, were outlined by Dr Jimmy Borah of Aaranyak’s Legal & Advocacy Division. He traced how traffickers test the same riverine gaps that lure elephants, while urging troops to treat every suspicious sack or midnight dinghy as potential contraband. The message was clear: spotting early signs of animal presence sharpens reflexes for spotting crime.
Meanwhile, Nongstoin Wildlife Range Officer Sankupar Kharsyntiew later signalled plans for joint patrols, promising that forest guards and BSF units will swap intelligence to keep both personnel and wildlife safer. A total of 33 officers, led by Inspector Shravan Kumar, absorbed the day-long briefings, with logistical support managed by Beat Officer Joseph Sawkmie of Mawkyrwat Wildlife Beat.