Galileo, MP's Star Sniffer Dog, Helps Nab 91 Poachers in Tiger Reserve
The canine’s exceptional sniffing ability and agility have made it virtually a living legend in the wildlife crime in Madhya Pradesh, forest officers of the state say.
Bhopal: Galileo, the Belgian Malinois breed dog, can even sniff the presence of the poachers kilometers away in the Nauradehi Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
The canine’s exceptional sniffing ability and agility have made it virtually a living legend in the wildlife crime in Madhya Pradesh, forest officers of the state say.
“Galileo has cracked 51 wildlife crimes in the Nauradehi Tiger Reserve leading to the arrest of 91 wildlife smugglers and poachers. The canine sends shivers down the spines of poachers”, local divisional forest officer (DFO) Dr A A Ansari told this newspaper on Thursday.
Galileo has helped bust the wildlife trafficking network active in the area by cracking the wildlife crimes in the reserve, a forest officer said.
The canine’s sniffing sense is so sharp that it can uncover traps laid under a thick layer of leaves by the poachers to trap the wild animals like boards, deer and blackbuck, Dr. Ansari said.
Galileo is very intelligent and has exceptional sniffing ability, he added.
The canine is the best among the 16-member dog squad, most of them are Belgian Malinois breed, raised by the Madhya Pradesh forest department for deployment in various wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves to curb wildlife crimes, another forest officer said.
According to Dr Ansari, Galileo’s services have often been taken by the police and other security establishments.
Born on March 17, 2017, Galileo was first deployed in Chambal gharial sanctuary in Morena district in Madhya Pradesh and then shifted to Nauradehi Tiger Reserve in 2020.
Nauradehi with around 1200 sq km area is the largest tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh falling under three districts, Sagar, Damoh and Narasinghpur.
The reserve was rechristened as Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve recently.
Belgian Malinois is known worldwide for its intelligence, alertness, agility and bond with humans.
That is the reason why the breed is much in demand by the elite armies and police across the globe.
