Adding teeth to India's wildlife law enforcement initiatives, 14 wildlife sniffer dogs and their 28 handlers completed their training on August 8, 2025 at the National Training Centre for Dogs, Basic Training Centre, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (NTCD, BTC-ITBP) in Panchkula, under WWF-India's wildlife sniffer dog programme. They have been deployed with the forest departments of eight states, with Rajasthan getting its first-ever wildlife sniffer dog squad.

The training of 14 young dogs and their 28 handlers started in January 2025. Their seven-month training included learning skills to detect wildlife contraband, track poachers, and deter wildlife crime.

Dr Dipankar Ghose, Senior Director, Biodiversity Conservation, WWF-India, said, "Illegal wildlife trade is reported to be growing and is a highly organised criminal activity. There is a need to strengthen the wildlife law enforcement agencies, both at the central and state levels. The future of India’s tigers, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, turtles, tortoises, birds, marine species and many others depends on collaborative efforts to mitigate the threat of illegal wildlife trade.”