New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) Yak 'Bahubali' and pony 'Madhu', part of the ITBP animal transport wing, have been awarded special service medals for delivering tonnes of rations, equipment and ammunition to forward posts along the India-China LAC in Sikkim and Ladakh sectors respectively, officials said Monday.

While 10-year-old Madhu has carried a total of 59,821 kgs of load during his seven years of service with the force in Ladakh sector, Bahubali (9.6 years) has walked for 2,348 kms and carried 7,818 kgs during the same service period, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials said.

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The medals are given annually to those members of the animal transport wing who rendered exceptional services and undertook some of the most arduous journeys on the hills to reach remote border posts of the ITBP, a senior officer told PTI.

According to official records, the wing -- comprising ponies, mules and yaks -- carried a total of 30,45,019 kgs load as its members walked over 3,43,593 kms in the current year.

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The animals carry dry rations, fuel, ammunition, packaged food and other items to border posts that are located at high altitudes from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh ranging from a height of 8,000-16,000 ft.

The medals were given to the two winners at their respective border posts on the occasion of the ITBP Raising Day that was celebrated on October 24.

While ponies can be brought up to the plains, Yaks are usually deployed at posts located at a height of 15,000 feet or above as they cannot sustain themselves below this height, the officer said.

The ITBP had instituted the 'Animal Transport' and a 'K9' (canine) medal in 2016 to honour the services of its four-legged soldiers who help the troops to maintain the logistics and supply lines at high-altitude border posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The about 98,000 personnel strong ITBP is mandated to guard the 3,488 kms long LAC apart from rendering a variety of duties in the internal security domain of the country.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)