Jaldapara gets sniffer dog - First canine squad for state forest department to detect wildlife items

Rani and her handlers at Jaldapara. Telegraph picture

TT, Alipurduar, Oct. 28: A sniffer dog trained to detect wildlife items like animal skin, bones and horns was pressed into service in the Jaldapara National Park from today.

Foresters said the one-year-old German Shepherd was the first dog to be inducted ino the state forest department.

Rani and it's two handlers will stay in Jaldapara and travel to other forests in north Bengal if the need arises.

"It is the first time that a specially-trained dog squad has been engaged by the state forest department to track offenders," the divisional forest officer of Jaldapara wildlife division, Bhashkar J.V, said.

"Forest guard Biplab Kumar Roy and chowkidar Vanu Rava have been selected as the handler and the assistant handler of the dog, respectively," he added.

Both Roy and Rava are from Jaldapara forest division.

The DFO said the handlers and the dog were trained in Madhya Pradesh for around eight months.

"They were trained at the Tekanpur BSF Dog Training Academy at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The training was sponsored by TRAFFIC India (an NGO) in collaboration with the forest department of Bengal. They underwent training from February 1 to October 8. The German Shepherd was given by TRAFFIC India. The dog is specially trained to detect wildlife articles, like tiger skin, bones, tusk, leopard skin and rhino horn. The trained personnel and the dog joined their duties at Jaldapara today," Bhaskar J.V. said.

The dog is trained to sit on an elephant and a special vehicle has been brought to Jaldapara for the squad.

Sources said Rani would be made to check buses and other vehicles passing through the forests if the department suspected animal parts were being smuggled. The dog will also be made to travel to remote forest areas on elephant back and look for clues if carcasses are found. "If any forest staff member suspects that someone is carrying any wildlife item, Rani would check the person thoroughly," said a forester. "The dog will also help provide clues about poachers."

Sources said, in the past 18 months, 11 rhinos had been killed by poachers in Jaldapara and in Buxa Tiger Reserve, eight elephants have been killed in the past two years.

Wildlife items are often smuggled to Bhutan and other places through Madarihat and Jaigaon, both near Jaldapara, foresters said.