'Don' sets out on a mission to save wildlife

Times of India , Saturday, December 27, 2008
Correspondent : Manveer Saini, TNN
CHANDIGARH: Trained by Indo-Tibetan Border Police and having sailed its way through an efficiency test at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, Don is ready to play a key role in Haryana wildlife department's anti-poaching mission.

For the ill-equipped and understaffed department that has been struggling to fight wildlife crime in the forest reserves of Pinjore, Kalka and Morni areas of Panchkula, this burly german shepherd would probably provide the much-needed bite. As of now, wildlife officials have a team of 10 - headed by two inspectors - who operate in groups of three each. Torches and a double barrel gun for each group and two revolvers is what they're armed with to fight the better equipped and skilled poachers.

''Don was put on the job after it successfully demonstrated its skills at IFS officers' academy. We've begun combing operations to check activities of tribals (Deha, Baoria and Bangala) in our area. The proposal to upgrade staff and equipment is with the government and is likely to be finalised very soon,'' wildlife warden Ved Parkash told TOI.

At the grassroots, village-level committees help keep an eye on poachers' activities, he added. Enquiries revealed besides being trained to detect animal hide, Don would also be able to sniff out the presence of carnivores and herbivores in forest reserves. He would also assist villagers save their cattle from falling prey to carnivores. In the last two months, three goats and a cow have been mauled by a panther that meandered into Balak village of Morni hills. A couple of panthers, wildboars and jaquals have been spotted near water body of Barhi Ser in Morni's forest reserves.

 
SOURCE : Saturday, December 27, 2008
 


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