Wildlife Sniffer Dog Force Gets 6 Young German Shepherds As New Recruits
NDTV
On completion of training, the wildlife sniffer dog squads will join the forest departments of Karnataka (4), Bihar (1), and Madhya Pradesh (1).
Six young German Shepherd dogs have begun training at National Training Centre for Dogs and Animals (NTCDA) and would soon be part of India's wildlife sniffer dog force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) said on Tuesday.
In a statement issued in Haryana's Panchkula, the paramilitary force said that the 10th batch of the programme with six young German Shepherds dogs, ranging between six and nine months old, and their 12 handlers have begun their seven-month course at NTCDA, Basic Training Centre, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (BTC-ITBP) camp in Panchkula, Haryana.
On completion of training, the wildlife sniffer dog squads will join the forest departments of Karnataka (4), Bihar (1), and Madhya Pradesh (1), taking the total number of wildlife sniffer dogs trained under TRAFFIC and WWF-India's programme to 94.
The illegal wildlife trade has endangered the existence of many wild species across the globe. In India, it includes an array of wildlife products and derivatives such as mongoose hair, snake skins, rhino horn, tiger and leopard parts, elephant tusks, shahtoosh shawl, pangolin scales, and much more. Wildlife law enforcement practices are critical in containing this threat, and the use of wildlife sniffer dogs for wildlife crime prevention and detection has been a game changer in India.
