By T. K. G. Kapila

Colombo, July 05 (Daily Mirror) - The Police Kennels Division has acquired a pack of 35 sniffer dogs at a cost of Rs.58 million from the Netherlands.

The pack of sniffer dogs had been airlifted to the Bandaranaike International Airport in the early hours of last morning.

The dogs had been purchased from the private livestock farm “K- 10Working Dog” in the Netherlands, and they were of Belgian Malinois, German shepherd and English Spaniel, breeds. 14 of them were males and 21 females.

A senior police official said two female English Spaniel dogs were pregnant and a Belgium Malinois had undergone breeding with a strong dog in the farm. He said the Police Kennel Division had imported sniffer dogs earlier in 2018.

Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa was present at the animal quarantine unit of the airport to receive the pack of dogs.

A team of Veterinary Medical Officers and the officers of the Police Kennels Division had visited the livestock farm in the Netherlands and examined the dogs.

The DIG said the pack of dogs were between 08 and 12 months of age and that they would undergo training for three months before attaching to the Police Kennel Units all over the country. He said that these sniffer dogs would be used especially for the anti-narcotic activities in the Western and the Southern Provinces and the “ Yukthiya” operations. He further said the 35 sniffer dogs would be added to the present strength of 372 sniffer dogs in the Police Kennel Division.

OIC Airport Police CI Elmo Malcolm Pate had organised the takeover of the dogs and the dispatch to the Police Kennel Division.