Ranthambore Tiger Reserve Gets Its First Wildlife Dog Squad
New Delhi – In a major boost to India’s wildlife law enforcement efforts, 14 newly trained wildlife sniffer dogs, along with their 28 handlers, have completed an intensive seven-month training programme and are now being deployed across eight states to help curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
The training, conducted at the National Training Centre for Dogs, Basic Training Centre, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (NTCD, BTC-ITBP) in Panchkula under WWF-India’s pioneering wildlife sniffer dog programme, concluded on 8 August 2025. This marks the first time Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve will have its own dedicated wildlife sniffer dog squad.
The dogs and handlers, who began training in January 2025, have been equipped with specialised skills to detect wildlife contraband, track poachers, and support anti-poaching patrols. They will be stationed at key protected areas including Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla, Achanakmar, Indravati and Udanti Sitanadi tiger reserves in Chhattisgarh; Kuno, Pench and Sanjay National Park in Madhya Pradesh; Sahyadri and Tadoba-Andhari in Maharashtra; Kawal in Telangana; Valmiki in Bihar; Ranthambore in Rajasthan; Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in Jharkhand; and Pakke in Arunachal Pradesh.
Dr. Dipankar Ghose, Senior Director, Biodiversity Conservation, WWF-India, said:
“Illegal wildlife trade is a highly organised criminal activity that poses a severe threat to species such as tigers, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, turtles, birds and marine life. Strengthening wildlife law enforcement is critical to protecting these species. From just two dogs in 2008, our programme has now trained and deployed 120 wildlife sniffer dogs across India.”
Inspector General Ashok Negi, PMG, NTCD, BTC-ITBP, added:
“Wildlife sniffer dogs are an indispensable asset in combating wildlife crime. This batch is the fifth to be trained under the WWF-India programme at our centre, and we are committed to providing our full support to such initiatives.”
The graduation ceremony in Panchkula marked the official deployment of the squads, with WWF-India pledging continued assistance to ensure their success in protecting India’s forests and wildlife.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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