The hound’s aggressive nature, aptitude for hunting, ability to chase, good stamina and obedience to the owner makes them popular on estates.
Vijayapura :
After their introduction in the Indian armed forces, paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force and police squads, the hounds of Mudhol are now in demand among estate owners of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.Coffee and tea planters are showing a keen interest in keeping these faithful hunters on their properties to chase away crop raiding wild animals, and also for vigilance on estates.
The hound’s aggressive nature, aptitude for hunting, ability to chase, good stamina and obedience to the owner makes them popular on estates. Another reason is their low maintenance cost of less than `3,000 per month. The Canine Research and Information Centre (CRIC) in Thimmapur, near Mudhol of Bagalkot, is the official breeding centre of the dog. CRIC functions under the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University of Bidar. The demand for Mudhol hounds has increased in the past five years, say authorities at CRIC, which provides a good platform for marketing the hounds.
CRIC has at least 38 Mudhol hounds which are used for breeding. Every year, more than 130 to 140 puppies are sold at this centre and around 60% of the customers are estate owners from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Mudhol puppies are sold at a price of `19,000 a pair. The male puppy costs `10,000 and female `9,000.
CRIC is struggling to meet the demands of estate owners, a few of whom have returned empty-handed. Dr Mahesh S Dodamani, head of CRIC, receives at least 10 phone calls from people from other states, asking about the availability of Mudhol hounds. Some families in the region which have taken up breeding of the hound, which also meets the demand to a large extent.
Dr Doddamani told TNIE, “Mudhol hounds are mainly in demand from coffee and tea estates of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The owners believe that the Mudhol is more faithful than the other breeds and use these faithful hunters mainly to chase away wild animals and also to guard their properties. But we don’t have the same demand from estate owners of Karnataka.”
He concedes that CRIC is unable to meet the huge requirement for the dog. “Mudhol puppies are sold only in two seasons in a year. We sell the puppies on ‘first come first serve’ basis. After the Indian armed forces inducted the Mudhol hound, demand has doubled,” he added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Mahesh M. Gowdar / Express News Service / February 26th, 2019