In a ceremony that was as heartfelt as it was unusual, the Chief of the Army Staff on Friday honoured six silent warriors — two Bactrian camels, two Zanskari ponies and two canine soldiers — for their steadfast service in some of the harshest operational theatres of the country.
There were no medals pinned in the conventional sense, no marching columns or gun salutes. Yet the acknowledgement carried weight. Because in Ladakh’s cold desert, on the icy walls of Siachen, and across forward posts where oxygen thins and terrain turns hostile without warning, these animals are not symbols — they are lifelines. The two Bactrian camels, with their distinctive double humps and remarkable endurance, have long been indispensable in eastern Ladakh. In sub-zero temperatures and across treacherous gradients, they ferry heavy loads — rations, ammunition, equipment — to areas where vehicles simply cannot go. Their calm resilience in rarefied air makes them uniquely suited to terrain that defeats most machines.
From the high plateau to the glacier, the two Zanskari ponies represent another story of quiet strength. An indigenous and endangered Himalayan breed, they are sure-footed, compact and astonishingly hardy. On the Siachen Glacier and in remote forward locations, these ponies have carried supplies over ice fields and narrow tracks, often becoming the only dependable link between posts.
And then there were the two canine warriors — trained, alert, intensely loyal. Whether deployed for surveillance, tracking or other operational tasks, Army dogs routinely operate in high-risk environments, often detecting threats long before human senses can. Their contribution, officers say, has directly enhanced troop safety and operational effectiveness in varied terrain — from snowbound posts to counter-insurgency grids.
The felicitation was more than ceremonial. It was a reminder that the Indian Army’s operational ecosystem extends beyond men and machines. In extreme geographies where technology can falter and weather shows no mercy, endurance, instinct and loyalty often come on four legs.
