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Maya and Drona assist foresters to check forest fire in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve

Two German Shepherd dogs and six drone cameras are being used by the forest staff of the Similipal Tiger Reserve to check wildfires and also nab criminals who try to set the jungles on fire. Last year, the tiger reserve was ravaged by uncontrollable forest fires.
forest fire

Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Two German Shepherds specially trained to sniff out illegal wildlife products have been recently deployed in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha to check forest fires in the core area of the forest this summer. “Apart from forest guards, watchers, forest officials and local people, we have deployed dogs to nab poachers and miscreants who torch the forest in the summer,” said M Yogajayanand, field director of Similipal Tiger Reserve.

‘Maya’ and ‘Drona’, two German Shepherd dogs, have been trained in Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force’s National Dog Training Centre in Bhanu near Chandigarh to detect hidden wildlife articles such as tiger bone and skin, leopard bone and skin and the hides of wild animals. These dogs have also been trained to follow poachers. And now their services are being sought to check the wildfires.

“Apart from the German Shepherds, we are now also using six drone cameras to detect forest fires and check poaching in the tiger reserve,” added the field director.

Also Read: Sniffing out wildlife criminals and illegal trade in wild animals

As heat wave sweeps across a large part of the country, several states have reported forest fires. These include the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, and forests in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. On April 2, Gaon Connection reported on these forest fires that have gripped several jungles.

A couple of days back, on April 2, a miscreant was nabbed by the forest guards with the help of the trained dog inside Similipal national park. A live matchbox was seized from him. Forest officials said that they have also arrested a suspected poacher with a handmade gun on April 4 inside Similipal Tiger Reserve with the help of the German Shepherds.

“Illegal wildlife trade has evolved into an organised transnational activity threatening the survival of many species in Similipal. In order to curb this growing menace it is necessary to deploy the best enforcement practices available including the use of sniffer dogs, which have a proven track record in detecting crime and serving as a long-term deterrent,” said Yogajayanand.

Also Read: Climate change induced heat waves responsible for forest fire incidents?

The Similipal biosphere reserve was ravaged by devastating forest fires last year in February-March. On March 8, 2021, Gaon Connection published a detailed report on these fires and how the forest officials were finding it extremely difficult to control the fires.

“Forest fires and illegal wildlife trade are serious issues and need to be curbed. We are glad that our expertise in training dogs for crime detection are contributing towards helping combat wildlife crime and forest fire this summer,” said the field director. These dogs are also trained to detect carcasses of elephants, tigers and other wild animals. They are also specially trained to use their nose for odour to detect endangered wildlife and plant species, added the forest officer.

Mahua season and forest fires

The summer season also coincides with the flowering of Mahuli flowers (mahua, Madhuca longifolia). It is a difficult task on the part of the tribal people and forest dwellers to collect the fallen Mahuli flowers on the ground, which is covered with grass and dry leaves. So, they often clear the grass and dry leaves by setting it to fire to collect the mahua flowers easily, which they consume and also sell for livelihood.

Also Read: Mahua flowers are not just of cultural significance to tribal communities but also the fulcrum of their economy

“It is also difficult on the part of the wood cutters to walk over the dry leaves in the forest as dry leaves are slippery for which they also torch the forest,” said Jayakrusnha Panigrahi, secretary of Odisha Environmental Society.

Similipal National Park is a national park and a tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district spread over 2,750 kilometres, which sustains 1,076 vascular plants, 93 species of orchids, 400 medicinal plants and many wildlife species. It has been included in 2009 in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO. “Similipal derives its name from the abundance of red silk cotton trees growing in the area,” informed Panigrahi.

According to Panigrahi, the rise in forest fires in Odisha last year can be clearly attributed to lack of proper planning and plan of action in the state. “Forest officials delayed the renovation of ponds and water bodies before the summer, as a result the shortage of water in the forest aggravated the fire situation. But this year forest officials are highly alert to check forest fires,” he added.

Total 345,989 forest fires occurred in the country from November 2020 to June 2021, informed Bhupender Yadav, Union environment minister while responding to Rajya Sabha member from Odisha Mamata Mahant in Rajya Sabha on July 19 last year. Of these, Odisha reported 51,968 forest fires, the highest among all the states and Union Territories in the country. Madhya Pradesh reported (47,795 forest fires), followed by Chhattisgarh (38,306), Maharashtra (34,025), and others.

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