The Campaign Raising Funds For Sniffer Dogs To Stop Illegal Wildlife Trade

“Dogs, with their remarkable sense of smell—are increasingly becoming part of a global effort to help stop illegal wildlife trade,” writes Soha Ali Khan Pataudi on her Bitgiving campaign page titled ‘Masti & Soha for the Super Sniffers.’ She, along with the adorable beagle Masti, are calling to raise funds for the training of ‘Super Sniffer’s,’ a squad of sniffer dogs that prowl the country to catch poachers and intercept the illegal trading of wildlife and wildlife products.

“In 2008, WWF-India along with TRAFFIC India pioneered the training of a task force of daring dogs to sniff out wildlife contraband like tiger bones, elephant tusks and rhino horn to help catch poachers and smugglers involved in trade of animal parts! India now has 27 trained sniffer dogs deployed in the field, and another 16 will soon join the wildlife sniffer dog force soon,” she adds.

Watch the Super Sniffer’s in action in TRAFFIC’s video posted below courtesy of WWF India.

As per a report by Business Standard, there have been 80 successful missions undertaken by the four-legged troupe and their handlers, many even aiding in the prosecution and investigation of crime against animals. A German Shepherd named Jackie helped in the capture of two poachers who had in their possession six live grey francolins and six illegal animal traps, while stationed in Madhya Pradesh in 2010. “Jimmy, a dog from Madhya Pradesh, has sniffed out skins and bones of tigers and leopards, poached sambar meat and many endangered animals and birds. So much so that he was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the governor of Madhya Pradesh in 2013 for busting at least 25 wildlife poaching and smuggling cases,” reports Business Standard. Two-year-old Shepherd Tracy helped forest officials in Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, in Jharkhand, retrace the spot where the tusks of a dead elephant were hidden along with her handlers. “She did what the police could not have accomplished, showing how sniffer dogs can make such investigations faster and more accurate,” said Shekhar Kumar Niraj, head of TRAFFIC in India, to the publication. Courts have begun to recognise and praise the expertise and objective nature of the Super Sniffer; “Evidence gathered by human agencies can be flawed or tampered with, but sniffer dogs unearth only the truth,” states Niraj.

These dogs are intensively trained for a period of nine months and it isn’t cheap. As Niraj had stated, this initiative met with quite a lot of skepticism at first regarding its effectiveness, but after so many accomplishments and successes it’s advantages are becoming undeniable. Unfortunately, they lack the funding that is required and here is where Soha Ali Khan’s campaign comes into play, bringing people’s attention to the work and achievements of the squad as well as the crucial role they play in the protection of our country’s wildlife.

“Trust me, Masti will be jumping with joy and sending you lots of woofs for all your contributions,” signs off Soha Ali Khan, for more information and to contribute toward the campaign you can visit Masti & Soha for the Super Sniffers campaign page.