<p>India’s first dedicated Wildlife Canine Training Centre — also known as the wildlife sniffer, tracker, and offence-detection dog unit — located in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), has completed one year of operations.</p>.<p>In its first year, the centre has trained 10 Belgian Malinois dogs along with their handlers. Two dogs each have been deployed to the Bandipur, Bhadra, Kali, Nagarhole, and BRT (Biligiri Ranganatha Temple) tiger reserves to support wildlife law enforcement and to help prevent and detect crimes such as poaching.</p>.Tourism stakeholders urge forest department to lift ban on safaris in Bandipur and Nagarahole.<p>The puppies, aged between 60 and 90 days, were trained at the Melukamanahalli administrative block in Bandipur. Each tiger reserve has also received four trained sniffer-dog keepers—two for each dog.</p>.<p>S Prabakaran, Conservator of Forests and Field Director, BTR, said, “This centre is the first-of-its-kind and a model for the country. It is Karnataka’s pioneering and effective wildlife conservation initiative. The dogs are trained to contribute to the protection of the state’s rich wildlife and natural heritage.”</p>.<p>Under the guidance of canine behaviour expert Dr Amrut S Hiranya and with the Forest Department’s support, dogs and handlers underwent rigorous training.</p>.<p>They are now equipped to detect wildlife parts such as elephant tusks and tiger meat or skin, forest wealth like sandalwood, as well as gunpowder and even offenders. The dogs will be deployed to track offenders involved in poaching, illegal timber felling, smuggling, and wildlife contraband.</p>.<p>They will also assist during human–animal conflict situations and help detect those responsible for setting intentional forest fires during the summer.</p>.<p>Prabakaran said handlers for all five tiger reserves are being identified. Once finalised, new puppies will be <br />procured and another training batch will begin in January.</p>.<p>Prabakaran added that in recent years, five German Shepherds from the Karnataka Forest Department were sent for basic training at the Indo-Tibet Border Police Force (BTC-ITBP) centre in Panchkula, Haryana, in collaboration with TRAFFIC and WWF India.</p>
<p>India’s first dedicated Wildlife Canine Training Centre — also known as the wildlife sniffer, tracker, and offence-detection dog unit — located in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), has completed one year of operations.</p>.<p>In its first year, the centre has trained 10 Belgian Malinois dogs along with their handlers. Two dogs each have been deployed to the Bandipur, Bhadra, Kali, Nagarhole, and BRT (Biligiri Ranganatha Temple) tiger reserves to support wildlife law enforcement and to help prevent and detect crimes such as poaching.</p>.Tourism stakeholders urge forest department to lift ban on safaris in Bandipur and Nagarahole.<p>The puppies, aged between 60 and 90 days, were trained at the Melukamanahalli administrative block in Bandipur. Each tiger reserve has also received four trained sniffer-dog keepers—two for each dog.</p>.<p>S Prabakaran, Conservator of Forests and Field Director, BTR, said, “This centre is the first-of-its-kind and a model for the country. It is Karnataka’s pioneering and effective wildlife conservation initiative. The dogs are trained to contribute to the protection of the state’s rich wildlife and natural heritage.”</p>.<p>Under the guidance of canine behaviour expert Dr Amrut S Hiranya and with the Forest Department’s support, dogs and handlers underwent rigorous training.</p>.<p>They are now equipped to detect wildlife parts such as elephant tusks and tiger meat or skin, forest wealth like sandalwood, as well as gunpowder and even offenders. The dogs will be deployed to track offenders involved in poaching, illegal timber felling, smuggling, and wildlife contraband.</p>.<p>They will also assist during human–animal conflict situations and help detect those responsible for setting intentional forest fires during the summer.</p>.<p>Prabakaran said handlers for all five tiger reserves are being identified. Once finalised, new puppies will be <br />procured and another training batch will begin in January.</p>.<p>Prabakaran added that in recent years, five German Shepherds from the Karnataka Forest Department were sent for basic training at the Indo-Tibet Border Police Force (BTC-ITBP) centre in Panchkula, Haryana, in collaboration with TRAFFIC and WWF India.</p>