Guwahati: Assam has the first trained dog squad of its sort in the nation, which is helping to detect poachers in the state’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and aid forest security officials in their conservation efforts, said a PTI report.
The first dog squad in the country was established in Assam in 2011 at the initiative of the biodiversity group Aaranyak, and it consisted of one Belgian Malinois male named Zorba.
According to Bibhab Talukdar, the secretary general of the organisation leading the operation, as stated by PTI, the dog squad known as the “K9 unit” has developed over the years into a “highly efficient and well-trained one” in pursuing wildlife crimes.
The team, which was founded in 2011 by the biodiversity organisation “Aranyak” with just one Belgian Malinois, has grown to seven dogs and many handlers. Two more dogs are being trained here, Talukdar told PTI.
The team’s first dog, Zorba, is credited with helping to apprehend 60 poachers, 50 of which were in Kaziranga National Park, famous for its one-horned rhinoceros. From 2012 until his retirement in 2019, the dog worked primarily for KNP. On the occasion of Independence Day that year, he received a ceremonial “gamosa” and commendation.
Additionally, he served on numerous occasions in additional national parks. In the state’s Orang National Park, one instance of his skill in locating poachers sticks out.
The suspect’s home outside the park was identified thanks to the crucial information he had provided from the crime scene. According to Talukdar, police and forest service personnel later detained the offenders.
M K Yadava, principal chief conservator of forests and commander of the forest force, said he counted himself lucky to have worked alongside Zorba in Kaziranga.
The K9 crew made such a significant difference in addressing wildlife crimes during those challenging times when poaching was at its peak, he said.
Anil Das, Zorba’s sole handler, claimed that he is enjoying retirement at the K9 camp here with better health care and no field work in hazardous situations.
Now it is the responsibility of his successors, Leon, Jubi, and Emy, to maintain watch in the various Kaziranga ranges. Then there are Veera in Orang National Park, Sheela in Raimona, and Misky in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.
According to Talukdar, it took approximately ten years for the unit to become an effective and dedicated force after adopting cutting-edge methods and procedures from multiple training sessions under the watchful eye of internationally renowned instructors.
After the rhino poaching episodes, members of our K9 squad, including Zorba, provided the forest officials with crucial information on the poachers’ escape routes, resulting in the arrest of offenders by the forest and police officials in various cases, he said.
According to Talukdar, the breed of Belgian Malinois was chosen for the job because of its extreme prey drive capacity. If the culprit tries to flee, Talukdar added, “Once they pick up a smell, track, and come to a lead, they have the possibility of outrunning and taking the criminal down.”
American and European troops have utilised this breed with great success as military dogs, and they have also performed admirably in Iraq and Afghanistan when it comes to sniffing out bombs and drugs.
Since 2011, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation in the UK has generously supported the K9 unit, and NABU-Germany has done the same since 2017, he added.