In the fight to end the black market of endangered animal parts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is adding a few new hires to the agency. Their names are Viper, Butter, Lancer and Locket - and yes, they are dogs.
The Wildlife Detector-Dog Program comes at a time when the illegal trafficking in elephant ivory and rhino horn is nearing an all-time high, according to Ed Grace, the agency's deputy chief of law enforcement. Meanwhile, he explains on the agency's site, funding is at an all-time low due to recent sequestration cuts.
In 2012, for example, the organization inspected more than 180,000 shipments of wildlife and wildlife products and successfully executed Operation Crash, an investigative mission to infiltrate and break a global rhino horn smuggling ring.
"But our field officers are stretched thin," he explains on the agency's blog. "Meanwhile, the trade in illegal wildlife products is growing rapidly, attracting organized crime syndicates eager for a share of this multibillion-dollar corruption."
The dogs, along with their human colleagues, will be posted in ports located in Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, as well as a UPS facility in Louisville, all of which, Grace said, are known smuggling hubs.
Both the dogs and their handlers have completed a 13-week training course at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Detector Dog Training Center in Newnan, Ga. The center has long trained dogs to detect fruits and plants as well as to interdict potential insects or disease capable of injuring U.S. agriculture.
"This gives me a chance to combine my two great loves, wildlife and dogs," Amir Lawal, Wildlife Inspector at the port of Miami stated in a press release. "I can't wait to get started in the field with my new partner to stop illegal wildlife shipments.
As Grace wrote on the agency's site, "For any smugglers reading this blog, the simple message is we will catch you."