To lose a canine colleague and companion can be a traumatic experience. Aaranyak, one of India’s biodiversity conservation organisations, on Tuesday, mourned the passing away of its first K9 unit member, Zorba. How Zorba, the Belgian Malinois, helped hunt down poachers in Assam is stuff legends are made of.

But as all living beings have a certain life period which ends in death, Zorba too left for his onward journey on the night of Monday 21 November 2022, reports ANI. His death is blamed on his advanced dog age and the current health issues that he had been battling.

Handlers of K9 hero dog Zorba are devastated due to his death:

An internationally acclaimed rhino conservation and wildlife crime expert, Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, the CEO of Aaranyak, told ANI about the feats of this K9 hero.

“Our K9 squad, including Zorba, helped forest officials locate poachers’ exit routes following rhino poaching incidents, resulting in arrests of the culprits by police and forest officials. Zorba’s contribution during his lifetime will always be remembered and we will always regard him as a conservation hero,” said Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar.

With an 8-year career covering several rhino protection areas in Assam – Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, and Orang National Park, Zorba was actively engaged in anti-poaching operations.