Zorba, the first dog of anti-poaching dogs squad K9 is no more

Tags: State News

The first dog of the anti-poaching dog’s squad K9 Zorba died in Guwahati, Assam on 22 November 2022 due to old age .He was 12 years old. He was given a warm farewell by wildlife activists.

India’s first dog squad named K9, raised to combat poaching of wildlife, was set up in Assam under the initiative of biodiversity organisation ‘Aaranyak’ in 2011.

The Zorba of Belgian Malinois breed was mainly deployed in Kaziranga National Parks and retired from service in 2019.  He helped the authorities in tracking down the poachers of wildlife. 

The K9 dog squad, comprising six Belgian Malinois dogs along with their handlers, has been actively assisting forest and police officials in Kaziranga and Manas National Parks as well as other rhino-inhabited areas in Assam resulting in the arrest of many poachers by law enforcement agencies. 

Kaziranga National Park 

• It is spread in 430 sq.Km in the Golaghat and Nagaon district of Assam .

• It was created in 1908 as a reserved forest area.

• It was declared as a National Park in 1974 and as a Tiger Reserve in 2006 .

• In 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

• Around two-third of the world's one horned Rhino population is found in Kaziranga National Park. As per the 14th Rhino census there are 2613  rhinos in the park.