To the east of India, far from the swimming camels of Kutch in the west, the water buffaloes of the famed Chilika Lake boast a rich legacy. Herds of Chilika buffaloes swim across the lake waters for forage. They transfer rich nutrients to both lands and seas and continue to sustain pastoral livelihoods in the region.
Video initiative by Balaram Sahu of Pathe Pathshala.

The swimming Kharai camels enrich the coastal ecosystem in the Kutch but state policies’ dismissal of traditional knowledge of the pastoralist communities endangers the lives of these camels and their herders in and around the Marine National Park and Sanctuary in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Video initiative by PARI (People’s Archive of Rural India).

The Raika people in India have been herding camels in Rajasthan for centuries, but their traditional way of life is now under threat. A German NGO, League for Pastoralist Peoples (LPP), is trying to create a perspective for the camel herders through the sale of camel milk and other products, in order to help the Raika sustain their livelihood. Credit: Cornelia Borrmann, Deutsche Welle

Tsering herds 350 goats and sheep in transhumance in the Himalayas, often alone. This time, she narrates her journey and philosophy to her brother, the filmmaker, Stanzin Dorjai in collaboration with Christiana Mordelet. Trailer for a fascinating full-length film of over one hour.

Raika pastoralists in Rajasthan, India, herd their camels on natural vegetation and practise dairying in an animal-friendly and ecologically sound way.

Shiv Kumar, forest guard in the Lahaul Forest Division in Himachal Pradesh, India, works with camera traps to help conserve wildlife, especially the snow leopard. He makes posters to raise awareness of schoolchildren and interacts with Gaddi shepherds who lose animals to the leopard. (The state offers compensation for livestock lost to wildlife.) Producer: Srishti Films & Kalpavriksh for Vikalp Sangam; sponsor: Heinrich Boll Foundation.