The forest department will soon use specially-trained dogs to tackle wildlife crimes, track wild animals (particularly elephants) and to help instil a sense of fear among violators.
A special team is helping the department train 10 female Belgian Malinois in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. After training, each of the five tiger reserves will have two trained dogs, making Karnataka the first state in the country to have a dedicated dog squad for its tiger reserves.
Earlier, dogs were trained in the Haryana Police Academy and then shifted to forests. But from this year, they will be trained in the forests so that they get used to the stench of wild animals, temperatures and natural environments.
S Prabhakaran, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, who is heading the wildlife dog squad, said the department has taken up a special project to have a dedicated dog squad in the state’s tiger reserves. Earlier, dog squads were limited to some divisions only with limited training. Under the new project, the scope of training has been expanded and intensified. Special animal behaviour experts have been roped in for the training programme, he added.
Another senior forest official said many crimes happen in the forests. Many states share forest borders, where illegal activities, including transportation of weapons, drugs, liquor and other banned items, take place. Cases such as poaching of wild animals, tree-felling and timber smuggling are on the rise.
The presence of trained dogs at check posts and inside the forests will act as a deterrent. “With this initiative, an information network of police, customs and CRPF will be created,” he added.
Existing dog squads have helped in solving cases in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In April, the forest department tracked down a wild elephant in Hassan, which had escaped during an operation to capture it, with the help of a dog squad. In another case, dogs were used to catch poachers in the Kali Tiger Reserve, who had escaped in a four-wheeler.
Dr Amrut Sindara Hiranya, canine trainer and psychologist working with the department, said the dogs are being trained in detecting animals, identifying them through their skins, and in sniffing sandalwood, tusks and other forest-related items. They are also being trained in tracking snares and combing operations. Explaining the reason for deploying female dogs, Dr Hiranya said they have no hormonal issues. Unlike males, they do not urinate to mark territories, which will impact the natural ecology.
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