HYDERABAD: awal Tiger Reserve in Telangana is among the reserves to benefit from India’s latest wildlife protection drive, with 14 wildlife sniffer dogs and 28 handlers completing training at the National Training Centre for Dogs, Basic Training Centre, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (NTCD, BTC-ITBP) in Panchkula, under WWF-India’s wildlife sniffer dog programme.
They have been deployed in the forest departments of eight states, with Rajasthan receiving its first wildlife sniffer dog squad.
The training, which began in January 2025, lasted seven months and covered detecting wildlife contraband, tracking poachers and preventing wildlife crime.
WWF-India senior director for biodiversity conservation, Dr Dipankar Ghose, said illegal wildlife trade is a growing, organised criminal activity and stressed the need to strengthen wildlife law enforcement at central and state levels. “The future of India’s tigers, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, turtles, tortoises, birds, marine species and others depends on collaborative efforts to address the threat,” he said.
Dr Ghose added that the dogs have become an important tool in curbing illegal wildlife trade by supporting state forest departments and other agencies. The programme has expanded from two dogs in 2008 to 120 trained and deployed across the country.
The new squads are being sent to Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla, Achanakmar, Indravati and Udanti Sitanadi tiger reserves in Chhattisgarh; Kuno National Park, Pench and Sanjay National Park in Madhya Pradesh; Sahyadri and Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserves in Maharashtra; Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana; Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar; Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan; Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in Jharkhand; and Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.