The two dogs at Similipal Tiger Reserve. Telegraph picture

Baripada, Jan. 3: Officials at the Similipal Tiger Reserve will deploy sniffer dogs to check poaching.

A German Shepherd and a Labrador have been brought to the tiger reserve after being trained for nearly a year at a Border Security Force (BSF) unit.

After procuring them from Hyderabad, the tiger reserve authorities had sent them to the National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD) under the BSF at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh.

The trained dogs are now lodged at Ramtirtha under Joshipur range of Karanjia forest division. The canines will be pressed into service whenever required. The two dogs were bought for around Rs 50,000. Nearly the same amount had been spent on their training, said tiger reserve sources, adding that both the dogs were about a year old and could serve for at least 15 years.

Deputy director of the tiger reserve Bikash Dash said: “The canines have been specially trained for investigating cases of poisoning. They have the ability to identify the different types of poisons that poachers use to kill animals.”

“The poachers usually target the salt licks and water bodies. They either throw poison-laced substances in the water bodies or on the ground. These sniffers not only identify the poisons but also help in tracking the poachers,” he said.

The BSF unit did not charge anything for their training. The expenditure of around Rs 50,000 was for the food and shelter. The dog squad has been introduced as an experimental basis, said tiger reserve officials.

Wildlife experts welcomed the move saying it would help curbing poaching activities. “There was a requirement for this kind of a squad in the tiger reserve. Several incidences of poisoning have occurred here in the past,” said Bhanoomitra Acharya, an honorary wildlife warden of Mayurbhanj.

“The tiger reserve may bring in more such dogs if this experiment is a success,” he said.