National Park Betla has one sniffer dog. According to the ranger of the park Ajit K Singh, the dog is nicknamed ‘Tiger’. This sniffer dog has had its training in Bhopal, said the ranger.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given this dog to the park. The ranger said it is here to help stop poaching and felling of trees, especially Sagwaan, which is a precious quality of wood.

Ajit narrated one episode in which about half a dozen miscreants tried hard to decamp with the logs of wood stored in the Betla depot of the Tiger Project. He said the miscreants came at night, took the guard of the depot under captivity and took away the logs of wood.

The logs of wood stored here in Betla are the ones seized from the tree fellers. With the help of this sniffer dog, the ranger and his team managed to foil the attempt of the miscreants and recovered the smuggled wood.

Food for sniffer dogs is expensive. And there is no fund to feed it, the ranger said. The food is managed with great difficulty. Also, dog’s food is not available in a small place like Betla.

The ranger rues that the police outpost at Betla does not extend the right kind of co operation. The Government of India’s proposal to have Wild Life Task Force comprising armed men is gathering dust over the last 10 years.

If there is a gang of timber mafia operating in the park, the police are informed immediately, for which they take their own time. As a result, the mafia succeeds in inflicting damages to the trees in the park.