Context
Mudhol hounds, a breed of hunting dogs native to north Karnataka, could be inducted into the Special Protection Group (SPG).
About Mudhol hounds
- Mudhol hound is an indigenous dog breed that comes from the border region of Karnataka and Maharashtra.
- These dogs are known for their loyalty, endurance, stamina and agility.
- The Indian Air Force has decided to induct these canines for chasing away birds and animals from runways to reduce accidents during flights.
- This decision comes three years after this breed’s induction into the Indian Army.
- CRPF and NSG are also considering introducing these breeds.
Characteristics of the Mudhol hound
- Mudhol hounds Known for their hunting and guarding skills.
- The breed was named after the erstwhile princely state of Mudhol, which was part of the Bombay Presidency in British India.
- The dogs are fast runners, with excellent stamina and agility, and have a sharp vision and a keen sense of smell.
- The Mudhol hounds are believed to have been bred first by Raja Malojirao Ghorpade of the erstwhile Deccan kingdom of Mudhol who, after seeing the qualities of the dogs that the tribals of his territory kept, decided to breed them selectively.
- The last king of the state, King Malojirao Ghorpade, presented a pair of these puppies to King George V when he visited the UK and it was the English emperor who christened the dogs as Mudhol hounds.
- Mudhol hounds have narrow heads that are disproportionately smaller to their bodies but are tall in height.
Commissioning in the Indian Army
- For the specific qualities that they possessed, the Indian Army took a batch of Mudhol hound puppies into its Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) training centre in Meerut in February 2016.
- This was the first time that an indigenous breed was trained at the RVC Centre — which has a long history of training foreign breeds such as Labrador and German Shepherd — for possible induction into service with the Army.
- Out of the eight dogs that were inducted for training, six were selected for field evaluation and suitability trials with the Srinagar-based HQ 15 Corps and Nagrota-based HQ 16 Corps.
- These dogs have been trained for explosives detection only.
- They have not been trained for guard duties, search and rescue or for tracking duties.
- The hounds could play a key role in the detection of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in counter-insurgency operations.
Concerns
- There aren’t too many drawbacks of using Mudhol hounds in security duties.
- One issue that has been observed, however, is that the performance of the hounds appears to dip in cold environments, could be because the species is native to an area with a warmer climate.
- There is a possibility that this may impinge on their future deployment in certain areas.
