Priyanshu Mohanty 
Similipal, which lies in the Indian state of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, has served as a sanctuary for a wide variety of animals. But a worrying habit has started to emerge in recent months. Due to strict rules prohibiting the use of firearms, villager populations in and around Similipal have turned to utilising dogs to hunt wildlife. This report investigates this expanding problem, illuminating the circumstances and effects of this practise.
PC CREDIT : ALAMY
The Similipal Tiger Reserve is well known for its diverse animal and bird species and great biodiversity. Authorities have set strict restrictions on the use of firearms in the area in order to conserve this fauna. These laws have unexpected consequences even if they are crucial for conservation. The consequences are Dog-Assisted Animal Hunting.
There have been indications over the past two months that the Similipal region’s people are relying more and more on their dogs to help them hunt animals. The locals have turned to trained hunting dogs as an alternative because the firearms restrictions make it practically difficult for them to hunt. The old practise of using dogs to hunt wildlife has been observed in various sanctuaries around Odisha. When hunting dogs were compelled to pursue deer and wild boar, the dogs hurt the animals, which the poachers then capture.
The welfare of the animals involved in these hunts as well as the dogs employed has drawn the attention of the authorities. The safety of trained hunting dogs is put at risk by placing them in risky circumstances. Additionally, the region’s already delicate fauna is seriously threatened by the increase in hunting activity.
PC CREDIT : Alamy
This gained attention after two personnel , forester and a forest guard were killed by poachers in a local community two months earlier, prompting the formation of a joint squad. The police and forest service officials took away more than 200 locally produced firearms. Following the appeal for a stop in operations by the non-gazetted forest service association due to the deaths of two people, up to 120 police and 100 forest personnel from a bordering division had been positioned in the city’s core and other vantage points.
