Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh: India's wildlife sniffer dogs, trained under WWF-India's initiatives, have been at the forefront of combating wildlife crime. Commonly referred to as Super Sniffers, these canine units have assisted enforcement agencies, including the state Forest Departments and Railway Protection Force, in combating wildlife poaching and trafficking.
To further enhance the efforts of these wildlife sniffer dogs in the field and address any training-related gaps, WWF-India organised a refresher course for wildlife sniffer dog squads at the National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD), BSF Academy, Tekanpur, Gwalior.
Eight wildlife sniffer dogs and their 16 handlers from Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh; Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar; Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh; Navegoan Nagzira and Melghat Tiger Reserves, Maharashtra; and the Eastern, Western Central, and Northern units of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) attended the three-month course, which culminated in February 2025.
Dr Dipankar Ghose, Senior Director of Biodiversity Conservation at WWF-India, stated, "Illegal wildlife trade is an organised crime that is constantly evolving. The role of wildlife sniffer dog squads is crucial in addressing this threat. These sniffer dogs aid enforcement initiatives by tracking and helping the authorities find offenders, detect wildlife contraband, and serve as deterrents to wildlife crime. However, these dogs encounter numerous challenges in the field, highlighting the need for ongoing training and updates to their skills. WWF-India's refresher course for wildlife sniffer dogs, conducted by the NTCD at the BSF Academy in Tekanpur, aims to fill this and other related training gaps."
"The wildlife sniffer dog squads from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) found the refresher course particularly useful. These dog squads are posted at railway stations, and their encounter with wildlife derivatives and products is limited. Therefore, the course helped the dogs to recall scents of wildlife derivatives commonly found in the illegal wildlife trade. The course also allowed the RPF and the forest department handlers to exchange field knowledge and experiences", Dr Ghose added.
Dr Sandeep Gupta, Commanding Officer, NTCD, BSF Academy, Tekanpur, Gwalior, said, "Dog training is a never-ending process if we want to keep the dog's skills sharp and teach them new ones. For this reason, at NTCD, BSF Academy, we recommend a refresher course for the already-trained sniffer dogs. We are happy to extend our expertise and support for WWF-India's wildlife sniffer dog training programme in India and train wildlife sniffer dogs for the country".
The refresher course for the wildlife sniffer dogs was designed to refresh their basic obedience skills and sharpen and reinstate their scent tracking and detection skills. Strategic exercises reinforced the dog and handlers' bond, teaching them to handle challenging situations and respond to specific commands.
For any queries, pictures or more information, please contact Dilpreet B. Chhabra at dchhabra@wwfindia.net or call +91 9899000472.
Notes:
To know more about WWF-India's wildlife sniffer dog programme in India, please visit - https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/enablers/traffic/our_work/super_sniffers/
To further enhance the efforts of these wildlife sniffer dogs in the field and address any training-related gaps, WWF-India organised a refresher course for wildlife sniffer dog squads at the National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD), BSF Academy, Tekanpur, Gwalior.
Eight wildlife sniffer dogs and their 16 handlers from Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh; Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar; Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh; Navegoan Nagzira and Melghat Tiger Reserves, Maharashtra; and the Eastern, Western Central, and Northern units of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) attended the three-month course, which culminated in February 2025.
Dr Dipankar Ghose, Senior Director of Biodiversity Conservation at WWF-India, stated, "Illegal wildlife trade is an organised crime that is constantly evolving. The role of wildlife sniffer dog squads is crucial in addressing this threat. These sniffer dogs aid enforcement initiatives by tracking and helping the authorities find offenders, detect wildlife contraband, and serve as deterrents to wildlife crime. However, these dogs encounter numerous challenges in the field, highlighting the need for ongoing training and updates to their skills. WWF-India's refresher course for wildlife sniffer dogs, conducted by the NTCD at the BSF Academy in Tekanpur, aims to fill this and other related training gaps."
"The wildlife sniffer dog squads from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) found the refresher course particularly useful. These dog squads are posted at railway stations, and their encounter with wildlife derivatives and products is limited. Therefore, the course helped the dogs to recall scents of wildlife derivatives commonly found in the illegal wildlife trade. The course also allowed the RPF and the forest department handlers to exchange field knowledge and experiences", Dr Ghose added.
Dr Sandeep Gupta, Commanding Officer, NTCD, BSF Academy, Tekanpur, Gwalior, said, "Dog training is a never-ending process if we want to keep the dog's skills sharp and teach them new ones. For this reason, at NTCD, BSF Academy, we recommend a refresher course for the already-trained sniffer dogs. We are happy to extend our expertise and support for WWF-India's wildlife sniffer dog training programme in India and train wildlife sniffer dogs for the country".
The refresher course for the wildlife sniffer dogs was designed to refresh their basic obedience skills and sharpen and reinstate their scent tracking and detection skills. Strategic exercises reinforced the dog and handlers' bond, teaching them to handle challenging situations and respond to specific commands.
For any queries, pictures or more information, please contact Dilpreet B. Chhabra at dchhabra@wwfindia.net or call +91 9899000472.
Notes:
- The illegal wildlife trade has endangered the existence of many wild species across the globe. In India, it includes the illegal trade of products like mongoose hair; snake skins; rhino horn; tiger and leopard claws, bones, skins, whiskers; elephant tusks; deer antlers; shahtoosh shawl; turtle shells; musk pods; bear bile; medicinal plants; timber and caged birds such as parakeets, mynas, munias, etc. There is an urgent need for action to stop all illegal wildlife trade that has threatened and even pushed many species towards extinction. Training wildlife sniffer dogs is a step forward in this direction.
To know more about WWF-India's wildlife sniffer dog programme in India, please visit - https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/enablers/traffic/our_work/super_sniffers/
