Barbed wires, blackbucks and Bishnois: Ex-BSF's documentary showcases flourishing wildlife at Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan
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Pune: Against the odds of scorching desert winds and a fraught geopolitical backdrop, a new documentary brings to light an unexpected story of the resilience of wildlife along the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan.
'Living with Border Security', the first film in the upcoming 'Living with Nature' documentary series, will launch on YouTube this World Environment Day on June 5.
Filmed by a former Border Security Force (BSF) officer and wildlife biologist Amit Goswamy, the documentary delves into the stark, sandy stretches of Rajasthan to uncover thriving ecosystems just steps away from the international border fence. The project was made with the support of the BSF Rajasthan Frontier, India's primary paramilitary defence force along the western boundary.
"While exploring the zones of human-wildlife coexistence in India, our journey took us to unexpected places, like the borders of India and Pakistan in Rajasthan. Despite the hostile weather and the legacy of cross-border tensions, there is an incredible diversity of wildlife here," said Goswamy, who served with BSF from 2011 to 2018 after completing his master's degree from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
Among the desert's more elusive residents caught on film are the desert monitor lizard, brilliant agama, saw-scaled viper, spiny-tailed lizard, and more. The film also showcases scenes of chinkaras bounding through the dunes, desert jirds darting across sand, and surprisingly large herds of blackbuck, some 200-300-strong, wandering just shy of military fences. Goswamy and his team documented not only the visuals but also baseline data on species.
"It was incredible to witness a good number of chinkaras thriving at the border belt," said Goswamy, who also highlighted how the BSF contributes to conservation beyond its call of duty. "In many places, BSF personnel are the unsung saviours of the wild. In fact, we saw how discarded helmets are being repurposed as water feeders for birds," he shared.
Equally important to the narrative is the role of local communities, who have not only learnt how to coexist with nature for centuries but also provide care and are instrumental during rescue operations of wild animals.
In northern Rajasthan, the Bishnoi community, known for their deep respect for nature, continues to play an important role. "Their compassion, even in extreme climates exceeding 50°C, plays a vital role in conservation. In various ways, their efforts have helped maintain habitats where wildlife can thrive," Goswamy observed.
The film also touches on the changing dynamics of traditional livelihoods, including the 80% decline in camel populations as mechanisation renders them obsolete.
"Many camels are now abandoned, left to roam free," he said.
According to Goswamy, the film is more than a documentary, it's a call to rethink conservation. "This is one unique story of wildlife flourishing outside protected areas. The border belt, often seen only through a security lens, is in fact a functional ecosystem protected by the BSF in every sense," said the filmmaker.
With its lens set on life that not only persists but flourishes in one of India's most challenging landscapes, the documentary reframes the border not just as a line of defence, but as a line of coexistence.
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