Ilu The Super Sniffer Dog: In an effort to protect cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa in Kuno National Park, Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, a female dog named Ilu has been deployed.
Trained for 7 months in Panchkula, Chandigarh, Ilu is a super sniffer dog who can detect crimes against cheetahs and other wild animals as well as nab poachers.
Along with Ilu, two handlers who have undergone training have also reached Kuno.
Ilu has received her training at ITBP's National Training Center in Panchkula, along with six other special dogs who will also be deployed in various sanctuaries and national parks across the country.
A forest worker named Naeem Mohammad from the Kuno staff has been trained as Ilu's dog handler, while a permanent worker named Rashid Khan has been trained as Ilu's assistant.
Ilu, about a one-year-old female dog stationed at Kuno National Park, has undergone extensive training, which includes recognizing the skin of various animals and identifying hunters.
Along with other dogs, Ilu is trained to track criminal incidents involving cheetahs or other wildlife in the park using her keen sense of smell.
According to Prakash Kumar Verma, the DFO of Kuno National Park, a total of 20 cheetahs have been brought to the park from Namibia and South Africa.
On September 17 of last year, eight cheetahs arrived from Namibia, while an additional 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa on February 18 of this year.
Four cheetahs from Namibia have been released into the open forest of Kuno, with one of them named Oban wandering outside the park boundaries for the past three days.
In such a situation, Ilu, a female dog trained to protect cheetahs, will bear a great responsibility to ensure the safety of the cheetahs in the park.
