Plastic waste, elephant conflicts, marathons, and school kids with paintbrushes. This is what Wildlife Week looks like on the ground in Arunachal.
BHALUKPONG, 3 October 2026 — The forests of Khellong don’t just shelter tigers and elephants. They hold entire communities within their borders, people who share space — sometimes uncomfortably — with wildlife every single day. So when Khellong Forest Division marked the 72nd Wildlife Week 2026, it wasn’t a ceremonial affair. It was boots on the ground across every range, doing work that actually matters.
The theme this year was “Connecting Habitats, Thriving Wildlife,” and the division took that seriously. What unfolded wasn’t one event at one venue. It was a week of action spread across ranges, villages, highways, and school halls.
The week kicked off with a cleanliness drive on 2 October along the BCT Highway. Bhalukpong Forest Range took on a 47-kilometre stretch — from the Bhalukpong Forest Check Gate all the way to the Nechiphu Tunnel — covering Tippi, elephant flat, and Sessa along the way. The stretch includes spots like the Lummum and Saddle waterfalls, popular tourist points that often bear the brunt of careless littering. By the time the drive wrapped up, two truckloads of litter and plastic waste had been hauled out and transported to Tippi for proper disposal. The Division Forest Officer and Bhalukpong’s assistant commissioner didn’t just send teams — they showed up themselves, which says something.
Over at Rowta Forest Range, teams installed awareness signboards along the 4-kilometre road leading to Demachang village. The boards weren’t vague government-speak. They were specific — alerting commuters about elephant presence in the area, laying out safety precautions, and pushing a message about human-wildlife coexistence that the region genuinely needs.
That need became even more apparent at Doimara village, nestled inside Doimara Reserve Forest under the Foothills Forest Range. For a settlement of roughly 25 households, human-elephant conflict is not a distant threat — it’s a recurring reality. The solution this week: solar-powered electric fencing. A practical, community-focused intervention that doesn’t just protect crops, it protects lives.
Meanwhile, Seijosa Forest Range brought some much-needed energy with a 10-kilometre mini marathon. Around 50 participants ran through the morning air, competing for trophies, cash prizes, and certificates. The organisers made sure to recognise different age groups and genders, which meant the celebration felt inclusive rather than just competitive.
Two more ranges brought the message to students — arguably the most important audience of all. At Balemu Middle School under Amortala Forest Range, kids picked up pencils and paintbrushes for a drawing competition before getting involved in a plantation drive. Over in Namorah Forest Range, students and teachers at Dipik Primary School sat through a wildlife awareness programme designed to make them think about forests not as a backdrop, but as something worth protecting.
It’s easy to observe Wildlife Week with banners and press photos. What Khellong Forest Division did this year was different — it was spread out, hands-on, and built around real problems that real communities face. Plastic on highways. Elephants in villages. Kids who’ve never been taught why any of this matters.
A week won’t fix all of that. But weeks like this one remind us that someone’s paying attention.
