The Odisha government is taking proactive measures to combat the rising tide of wildlife crime by deploying sniffer dogs across various sanctuaries. This initiative aims to enhance crime detection, investigation capabilities, and serve as a deterrent to wildlife offenders.
In a strategic move, the State government has proposed the acquisition of 10 highly-trained sniffer dogs for seven wildlife and territorial divisions. This action comes in response to the increasing instances of wildlife crime within the State.
“A global tender has been issued to procure specially-trained dogs, particularly the Belgian Malinois breed, known for their ability to detect crude bombs and snares quickly. These dogs will be vital not only for investigations but also for routine patrolling,” stated a representative from the Odisha Forest department. The focus is on dogs aged between 12 to 18 months.
This initiative marks a significant development in wildlife crime prevention and detection, positioning Odisha as a forerunner in implementing such methods across India.
The selection process for service providers is stringent, requiring vendors to have a minimum of 10 years of experience in training such dogs. Preference will be given to those with prior experience working with State and Central government agencies, including Army, police, and forest departments.
The trained dogs are expected to excel in identifying and tracking wildlife, particularly focusing on detecting illegal wildlife contraband such as skins of Royal Bengal Tigers and leopards, elephant tusks, wild meat, firearms, explosives, snares, and wires used for electrocution. Additionally, the dogs will be tasked with detecting poisons intended for harming wildlife and crude bombs.
“These dogs will be adept at tracking poachers by following their trails,” according to the standard operating procedures established for the procurement process. A forest guard or forester from each forest division will receive specialized handler training.
Over the past decade, Odisha has witnessed the poaching of 2,869 wild animals and the arrest of 6,960 wildlife offenders, as reported by the Forest and Environment Minister. Incidents of poaching involving leopards, pangolins, elephants, and bears have been highlighted across various regions of the State.
Significantly, the Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, achieving a 100% conviction rate in seven wildlife cases investigated. This success underscores the ongoing commitment to ensuring accountability under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
