A Rhino's Best Friend Too

[Nitro Express]

Guwahati, Oct. 13: Rhino poachers in Assam will be up against a breed of dog that is said to have helped bring Osama bin Laden down.

Two Malinoises — Belgian shepherd dogs — imported from Slovakia will add teeth to anti-poaching efforts at the Kaziranga National Park, and are now being acclimatised in Guwahati.

A Malinois is said to have been part of the US Navy Seals team that raided Osama’s Abbottabad lair in Pakistan and killed him.

Famed for its ability to sniff out explosives and enemy warriors, the Malinois has been successfully deployed as military dogs by the US and European forces. But this is the first time the breed will be used in wildlife crime detection in Asia.

Jorba (male) has been financed by the London-based David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and brought to Assam by Aaranyak, a biodiversity research and conservation group. Czarina (female) has been financed by Kaushik Barua, a wildlife lover.

“The dogs are trained in detection and tracking. The reason we have brought this particular breed is its extreme prey-drive capability,” Aaranyak secretary-general Bibhab Talukdar said.

“The only requirement for the dogs to succeed is that the site of poaching must be left undisturbed so that they can pick up clues.”

Barua said: “Even if you fire at these dogs, they are not cowed. Instead, they hit back. The dogs will be in action very soon.”

Assam forest officials’ best efforts have so far failed to stop poachers from killing wild animals, including rhinos.

D.D. Gogoi, divisional forest officer, eastern Assam wildlife division, said the deployment of the Malinoises would definitely put the poachers under psychological pressure.

“Guidelines will have to be framed so that the field personnel know the dos and dont’s. Any effort in the conservation of Kaziranga is always welcome”, he said.

The Malinois is often confused with the German Shepherd (Alsatian) but there are differences in the two breeds’ body structure and temperament. The Belgian dog is smaller and has lighter bones. It stands with its weight on its toes, which gives it a square body profile, while the German Shepherd has a long and sloping back and carries its weight flatter on its feet.

The two Malinoises “will continue to strengthen anti-poaching activities in Kaziranga,” a statement from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation said. It added the breed was capable of picking up a scent and tracking, outrunning and bringing down suspects.

There are reports that Belgian Malinoises will be deployed by the security forces in the Maoist zones of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh too.

- Roopak Goswami
The Telegraph
Calcutta, India
Friday , October 14 , 2011
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111014/j ... 622551.jsp

[nagarifle]

sounds awesome, hope they help. then again they have not met the nagas have they they may end up in the pot

even the dogs are trained to track, but are the handlers trained to handle the dogs? otherwise it may be loosing battle.

let see what is the out come.

shame that MR Kaushik Barua is a veggi

[veeveeaar]

This is another example of ''phoren '' solutions. Here in India we have a few awesome hunting breeds of dogs which can track for miles and lead you to the quarry. I dont know why this cheap, easy to get and cost effective breeds are not seen and used as valuable resources for safe guarding these PRICELESS heritages. If you go into this matter deeply, a phenomenal amount of money and connected resources will be use to either maintain these newly fetched PHOREN canines . I am also skeptical about the continued maintenance of these phoren dog breeds in prime working order, vis a vis our native breeds . I am pained why we dont think INDIAN JAI HIND

[prashantsingh]

Let's take things possitively.
At least an effort has been made. How successful it is , only time will tell.
Hats Off to the London based foundation and Mr Kaushik Barua for bearing the expenses. Indeed a true wildlife lover.
The Rhinos in Kaziranga owe their existence to Lady Curzon who asked her husband to put a ban on Rhino hunting in Assam. I wonder if any of their extended family members are involved in this London based Wildlife Foundation.

[veejosh]

The Rhinos in Kaziranga owe their existence to Lady Curzon who asked her husband to put a ban on Rhino hunting in Assam.

No one has given this one man his due even when I attended the Kaziranga Centenary Celebrations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Pritchard_Gee

He not only worked in the Kaziranga area but all over. I have met Tea Executives who had very good thing to say about him.

Sorry for the OT and yes any effort by anyone is welcome but first give the animal some space. As it is, the place is shrinking (By Brahmaputra erosion) and the worst comes when the animals try to escape from the floods.. there are resorts and other constructions and encrochments to block the escape.. it will spell nothing but DOOM.

Wishing for the best (TO THE RHINOS)

[Priyan]

Mr. Baruah,
Thanks for financing the dog, I'm sure it will help to save the remaining rhinos in Assam. Naga pointed out few things that got me thinking, we'll need some excellent handlers as this is the first time the dogs are used in combating poachers. Also how well that breed performs in tropical place like ours? BTW are ya'll thinking about breeding them here too or just use them?

Even if you fire at these dogs, they are not cowed. Instead, they hit back.

Nice to hear that but I'm afraid they would just get shot in this scenario.
My best wishes with you guys. Hope it doesn't end up like the Berrett M82A1 lol even if that happens, Naga can take care of it, right?

EDIT: Just read in newspaper that another rhino has been "killed" by poacher in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. The report says, the rhino has no wound on his body and the cause of death hasn't been identified yet, but it's horn is missing. Likely poachers poisoned it or it died of natural causes. The report also says that for the first time Malinois Belgian Shepherd Dog named Jorba would be used to to investigate the alleged killing. I hope soon our Czarina would start working too.

[Sakobav]

OT but new York times recently had a great article on why dog popularity is bad thing for the breed with loose breeding standards the dog breed suffers, this is the reason even German police has switched away from gs bred to Belgian one god forGS bad omen for Belgian breed,

Why doesn't Indian govt purchase small planes for patrolling south Africa makes some good ones. They are cheap and cost effective,,,

[dr.jayakumar]

leapords love dogs...this will be a set back.
but it is a welcome effort.

[Nitro Express]

Guwahati, Oct. 14: Jorba, a Belgian Malinois which has been brought from Slovakia to help forest officials in Assam to track down poachers, was in action straight away and has been able to provide some leads after a female rhino was poached in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary last evening.

This is the first time in Assam’s wildlife history that dogs have been pressed into service for helping forest officials get more clues to arrest the poachers.

“For the first time in Assam’s wildlife history, a dog was pressed into service. Jorba was requisitioned and pressed into finding clues. The progress has been good as some leads have been given by the dog,” S.K. Seal Sharma, divisional forest officer, Guwahati wildlife division, told The Telegraph.

Pobitora wildlife sanctuary falls under Guwahati wildlife division.

The rhino carcass was detected last evening outside the wildlife sanctuary.

“The horn of the rhino was missing but there were no bullet marks on it. However, as the horn is missing this is a case of poaching,” Sharma said.

Doctors from the College of Veterinary Sciences examined the animal and did not find any bullet marks. “Samples of the internal viscera have been taken for examination,” Sharma said.

This is the second incident of rhino poaching this year to have hit the wildlife sanctuary, which has the distinction of having the heaviest rhino density in the world. The first incident happened on June 11 after five years of lull. There are 84 rhinos in 16 square km of Pobitora according to the 2009 census. Large number of poaching cases takes place outside the protected area as the rhinos often stray out.

“We got the request last night for the dog from Pobitora authorities. The dog was pressed into service at 9 in the morning,” Kaushik Barua, a wildlife lover, said.

Of the two dogs brought, one has been financed by Barua.

Jorba, financed by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, has been brought to Assam by Aaranyak. The foundation has been supporting a Wildlife Crime Monitoring Programme since 1994 with Aaranyak.

The dog tracked the area for about an hour and gave some directional leads, which will have to be followed by the forest department. “The dog tracked the area right up to a water body,” Barua said.

The only problem is that the area where the rhino was poached is outside the sanctuary and there were lots of disturbances.

“It was wonderful progress on the first encounter and we are happy that we have been able to provide some assistance to the forest department,” Barua said.

As the forest staff become acquainted with the ground rules, there will be substantial progress in tracking down poachers in the future. The area where the poaching takes place should be left undisturbed so that the clues remain. Barua said the dog could be pressed into service again if a request comes from the forest department. “The forest staff were proactive and they feel that the dog can be of great service,” he said.

The one-year-old male dog has been trained to track and detect wildlife products such as a tiger and leopard skin and bones, bear bile, ivory and others. It was trained at Dehradun in Uttarakhand.

- Special Correspondent
The Telegraph
Calcutta, India
Saturday, October 15, 2011
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111015/j ... 624627.jsp

[Vikram]

I appreciate and welcome any initiative to help protect wildlife.And I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.Having said that,I wonder if domestically available dogs could not be trained for these tasks. The Belgian Shepherd dog is much akin to the German Shepherd with some claimed advantages thrown in.Dogs will help a lot,but I hope this does not make a money making exercise for some enterprising individuals.

Thank you for sharing this news,NE.

Best-
Vikram

[huntergill]

Curious, what makes them choose this breed.Overall popularity, tracking or hitting back abillity, like he said.Well, there are breeds that excel Malinois in both these feilds and can be good candidates for India climate wise too.Leopards will going to be great challange to keep them alive in case of off leash tracking.

[chrisjackripper]

sounds awesome, hope they help. then again they have not met the nagas have they they may end up in the pot

even the dogs are trained to track, but are the handlers trained to handle the dogs? otherwise it may be loosing battle.

let see what is the out come.

shame that MR Kaushik Barua is a veggi

As Nagarafile mentioned, they require well trained handlers to handle these dogs. The most important, is the break in period. If not done right both handler & dog can’t be efficient.

[chrisjackripper]

Curious, what makes them choose this breed.Overall popularity, tracking or hitting back abillity, like he said.Well, there are breeds that excel Malinois in both these feilds and can be good candidates for India climate wise too.Leopards will going to be great challange to keep them alive in case of off leash tracking.

Malinois or Belgian Shepherd’s are known for bravery & loyalty, however are poorly socialized. They require proper training from an early age. From birth they possess a strong ability for hunting, tracking, obedience, protection, detection & herding. This is a kind of breed that’s the happiest when working & require plenty of exercise.

They thrive on the affection they receive from their handlers & over a period of time form strong bonds with their handlers. They can only be made family pets unless properly socialized from a young age.

Both German Shepherd’s & Belgian Shepherd’s fall’s under working dogs. Previously German’s Shepherd’s served in most K-9 units. It’s only after the potential of the Belgian Shepherd’s was explored, they were preferred over German Shepherd’s. Malinois are capable of working in warmer climate compared to German Shepherds.

[chrisjackripper]

OT but new York times recently had a great article on why dog popularity is bad thing for the breed with loose breeding standards the dog breed suffers, this is the reason even German police has switched away from gs bred to Belgian one god forGS bad omen for Belgian breed,

Why doesn't Indian govt purchase small planes for patrolling south Africa makes some good ones. They are cheap and cost effective,,,

May be have the Rhinos tagged, well if they are already tagged. Deploy teams who will track the animal’s movement, at the same time who are well equipped, incase they run into poachers.

A swarm of beez is often heard & seen near a hive ?

[huntergill]

I think dehorning Rhino will be more effective than tagging and tracking teams.Rhino habitat is such that it stays out of human reach during most of the rainy season.The tree and grass cover will also hinder successful air patrolling.