Kaziranga — home to the iconic one-horned rhino. Almost 71 percent of the world’s population of this species lives here. That’s why poachers see it as a goldmine. Rhino horn is illegally sold as medicine or jewellery, fetching crores on the black market.
Back in 1987, poaching was at its peak. Assam had just passed the Forest Protection Force Act, and frontline staff were desperately needed.
Enter 21-year-old Dimbeswar Das, the eldest son of a poor farmer. With no formal education beyond Class 8, he signed up — partly to support his family, and partly because he felt the forest was calling.
Training was no walk in the park. He learnt to move silently through elephant grass, detect danger, and handle rifles in case of encounters. His day began at 4 am, with multiple patrols across floodplains, grasslands, and dense jungle.
The dangers were relentless. He exchanged fire with poachers, lived away from his wife and children for months after death threats, and patrolled in knee-deep floodwaters to rescue drowning animals.
Between 2008–2013, Kaziranga saw the worst poaching crisis in recent history. That’s when Das came up with a game-changing idea — a local informer network. He recruited village boys who quietly passed on information about suspicious outsiders.
Thanks to them, dozens of poachers were caught. But this wasn’t the only danger. Once, a tigress strayed into a paddy field looking for her cubs. Dimbeswar and his team rushed in — not with guns, but with strategy. They tranquilised her, got her treated, and released her back into the wild.
Kaziranga today is a conservation success story. From near extinction in the 1900s, the rhino population has bounced back to over 2,600 individuals — the highest in the world. And it’s heroes like Dimbeswar who made this possible.
Today, Dimbeswar is a grandfather of four. His dream for the forest? “To plant more trees so no animal here ever loses its home.” He may not be famous, but without men like him, Kaziranga would be just another memory.