Genie: The Pride Of Shahdol That Protects Tigers At Bandhavgarh
From 2020 till now, Genie has helped solve 66 out of 121 cases while getting 248 accused arrested.
Published : August 3, 2025 at 3:53 PM IST
Shahdol: Ever heard of dogs protecting tigers? Well, Genie is one such canine doing this rare job efficiently at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. This dog has sent many poachers behind bars and has helped the Forest Department officials solve some very difficult cases. The criminals are scared of Genie’s cleverness, sharpness, strength and intelligence.
A part of the dog squad posted at Shahdol Forest Circle, Genie is a dog of the Belgian Malinois breed. Divisional Forest Officer Shraddha Pendre said, “The dog’s success rate is very impressive. Trained between April 15, 2019 and January 14, 2020, at Bhopal, Genie has been working in Shahdol since January 2020. Its supervision is under the South Forest Division, Shahdol.”
The dog has been providing his services in the area falling in Shahdol, Anuppur and Umaria districts besides being summoned to Dindori when needed. Currently, the responsibility of protecting the wildlife of Bandhavgarh is also on its shoulders.
From 2020 till now, Genie has helped solve 66 out of 121 cases while getting 248 accused arrested.
These include seven tiger hunters, 12 leopard hunters, 10 bear hunters, nine wild boar hunters, three chital hunters and one hunter each of pangolin, porcupine, nilgai, bison and elephant. It has foiled 17 hunting attempts and participated in three search operations.
The dog’s services were taken to solve the mystery of seven cases in Bandhavgarh, of which three were successfully solved, where it succeeded in identifying the hunters.
Deputy Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve PK Verma asserted, “Genie was called from Shahdol Forest Circle to protect the tigers of Bandhavgarh because the dog doing the job retired in February after being declared unfit. Genie has visited Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve eight to ten times since then and has helped in solving critical cases. Genie is a very smart, clever and powerful dog."
Genie has made a name for itself by securing the top rank in the Annual Refresher Course of Dog Squad in 2023 and 2025.
The Belgian Malinois breed gets its name from the city of Malines in Belgium. This dog is very agile, sharp-minded, clever, cunning and full of confidence. It is considered one of the hardest-working dogs, and this makes it special.
The males of this breed are 24 to 26 inches tall and weigh 60 to 80 pounds. The females are approximately 22 to 24 inches tall and weigh 40 to 60 pounds. Dogs of this breed are very loyal. Their life cycle is 10 to 14 years. They rarely fall sick, provided they are given the best care.
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