Inside the Indian army base where soldiers guard nests instead of borders

What makes Danapur cantonment remarkable is the unusual bond between soldiers and wildlife. Army personnel, often trained for operations along the borders, are actively involved in protecting migratory birds, caring for the injured and preventing poaching within the protected campus, according to Col Om Prakash.

Beyond its military role, the cantonment has emerged as a seasonal refuge for thousands of migratory birds that arrive every year for nesting, including the Asian openbill stork, which arrives between May and June. The army has effectively turned parts of the cantonment into a micro-ecological zone where nests are safeguarded and disturbances are strictly controlled during the breeding season.

These birds arrive from a vast migratory belt stretching across parts of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, building large communal nests on tall trees inside the cantonment area. By the end of the monsoon, they raise their young ones, and as winter approaches, the flocks gradually leave for the Himalayan foothills and other colder regions, Col Prakash said.

Locals and birdwatchers estimate that around 3,000 birds arrive during the peak season, with the number doubling as young birds join the return migration — for wildlife enthusiasts, a rare example of coexistence between a heavily guarded military space and thriving seasonal wildlife.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by PJeganathan