Dogs that guard the White House will now help track tiger poachers in MP

Belgian Malinois dogs which guard the White House and formed part of the SEAL team that eliminated Osama bin Laden, will now be used for wildlife protection and

Updated on: Jan 12, 2017, 18:40:48 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Neeraj Santoshi

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Belgian Malinois dogs which guard the White House and formed part of the SEAL team that eliminated Osama bin Laden, will now be used for wildlife protection and anti-poaching operations in Kanha and Pench tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh.

Belgian Malinois dogs being trained at Police Dog Training Centre of the 23rd Battalion of Special Armed Forces in the outskirts of Bhopal. These dogs are trained to sniff out skins and bones of tigers and leopards and track poachers and hunters. These dogs are known for their keen sense of smell, stamina for long chases and aggression. (Mujeeb Faruqui/ Hindustan Times)

MP lost 30 tigers in 2016, the highest in the country, with Pench and Kanha alone accounting for over 20 deaths. The trend of using tiger body parts in tantric rituals has picked up in and around Pench and Kanha, leading to a surge in tiger deaths.

Read | In 10 months, India loses 78 tigers, MP accounts for a third

After training three batches of sniffer dogs since 2008, the Police Dog Training Centre of the 23rd Battalion of Special Armed Forces in the outskirts of Bhopal is now training four Belgian Malinois dogs these days to sniff out skins and bones of tigers and leopards and track poachers and hunters. These dogs are known for their keen sense of smell, stamina for long chases and aggression.

These dogs are trained to sniff out skins and bones of tigers and leopards and track poachers and hunters. (Mujeeb Faruqui/Hindustan Times)

The nine-month training of Malinois dogs will end in April-end following which they will be deployed in Kanha and Pench and other protected areas, which will be decided soon. The dog costs Rs 82,000 and around Rs 67,000 is spent on its training.

State wildlife department is upbeat about the proposed deployment of the elite dog force in and around Pench and Kanha tiger reserves.

RP Singh, additional principal chief conservator of Forests (APCCF wildlife) said that currently the department has eight sniffer dogs deployed at Itarsi, Sagar, Jabalpur, Indore and Seoni.

“But now with the addition of four Malinois dogs, for the first time we will deploy them inside the tiger reserves at Kanha and Pench or in the tiger corridors. We will make efforts to have more Belgian Malinois dogs to cover all tiger reserves and vulnerable areas in the state,” he said.

Manglendra Singh Prasad, dog trainer, who is training these Malinois dogs at the training centre here, told HT that it is a much better breed than the German Shepherd.“Malinois is a very disciplined, focused and friendly dog. Its energy levels are unparalleled among all the dog breeds I have worked with so far. It is the dog of this breed that was recommended for gallantry award last year for detecting fidayeen presence in Pathankot airbase attack. Once you introduce it to a scent of poachers or accused at a place in the forest or any other location, it has a good success rate in tracking them”.

Prasad said their Centre is the premier dog training institute in the country which has so far trained over 50 % country’s 40 plus sniffer dogs trained in wildlife protection.

Read | Tigers vulnerable to poaching: 30% of illegal trade export from India

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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