Pune forest dept. to induct horse squad for wildlife crime detection
Pune forest department trains horse for wildlife crime detection, becoming first in Maharashtra. Horses will aid patrolling in difficult terrain, a force multiplier for on-ground investigations.
PUNE: After dogs, it is now the horses’ turn to help the Pune forest department in wildlife crime detection work. The department has already started training a horse on a pilot basis, with professionals training the equine for nearly six months now. Training will be complete in another year after which the horse will be inducted into wildlife crime detection and patrolling work, a senior official from the forest department said.
The Pune forest department is the first forest department in Maharashtra to form a dog squad for wildlife crime detection. Going forward, it will also become the first forest department in the country to induct a horse (squad) into wildlife crime detection and patrolling work.
Tushar Chavan, deputy conservator of forests (wildlife) Pune, said, “On the lines of the dog squad, we are now planning to introduce a horse squad. Currently, training is underway and experts from the RESQ Charitable Trust are training the horse.”
Kiran Rahalkar, member of the RESQ team and horse training in-charge, said, “Horse training is going on for around six months and will require another one year. Unlike dogs, horses cannot be trained for sniffing but can be trained for chasing, especially in difficult terrain. Most of the time, humans cannot keep up with chasing clues alongside dogs. In some areas, vehicles cannot get access due to dense vegetation or lack of roads. Horses can be used in those areas.”
Currently, no other forest department has a horse squad. Only a couple of foreign countries have horse squads. We are also exploring the scope for horse squad induction and a pilot project is being implemented in Pune for that reason. If successful, a unit will be inducted by the forest department as a force multiplier, Rahalkar said.
How the horse squad will benefit Pune?
Several cases of wildlife crime are reported in Pune district including killing, accidents, trafficking etc. Sometimes these cases require on-ground investigation which gets tough due to difficult terrain. Horses can be used in such cases and also for grassland protection.