Sagar (Madhya Pradesh): Timber smugglers and poachers are more scared of Galileo than the guards Veerangana Rani Durgawati Tiger Reserve.
They can deceive the forest guards but cannot deceive the telescopic eyes of Galileo, a sniffer dog of the forest department. Galileo, a Belgian Malinois breed dog, has been working for the Veerangana Rani Durgawati Tiger Reserve since 2020 and has worked out 51 cases of smuggling. It sent 91 forest smugglers behind bars.
The dogs of this breed are intelligent as well as energetic. They have a fine bond with humans. They are nearly two feet tall and strongly built. It is easy to train them.
Born on March 17, 2017, Galileo was posted in the crocodile sanctuary in Morena. But because of its performance, Galileo has been posted in the tiger reserve in Noradehi.
Its trainer, Preetam Ahirwar, said, “Galileo is so agile that it reaches the target in the blink of an eye.”
According to deputy director of the tiger reserve AA Ansari, Galileo is put on duty at different places in the tiger reserve to detect the traps laid by hunters.
This agile dog worked out a case in which a leopard and a bear were killed. Galileo hit upon the clue in connection with the hunting of a black buck, he said. The dog is imparted with training, and its capacity to sniff is outstanding, Ansari said.
Rs 50K spent on its diet a month
A team from Bhopal fixes its diet. The department spends nearly Rs 50,000 a month on its diet. The dog is regularly vaccinated against any disease. There is a special vehicle for its movements
