Bailey, a female cocker spaniel trained as a sniffer dog, wagged her tail enthusiastically.

The red-haired canine jumped down from the arms of her handler and started sniffing four boxes on the floor on Wednesday right after the handler gave her a sound signal.

After a while, she stopped at one box and started to circle it while continuing to wag her tail.

Her handler shouted “good girl!” and gave her a cloth puppet, which was her favorite toy.

But Bailey is unlike other sniffer dogs. She is the first canine in the country trained to detect smuggled wildlife.

On Wednesday, the 9-month-old dog will start her career in the National Police’s canine squad under the supervision of animal rights group the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN).

Donated by Scent Imprint for Dogs, a training center specializing in police and service dogs in the Netherlands, Bailey will travel to major ports, including ports in Sumatra, Jakarta and Semarang, Central Java, where animal smuggling is rampant.

Every month, hundreds of monkey, infant orangutans, bear cubs and other endangered animals are illegally captured in Sumatra’s jungles and sold in black markets across Java and Bali, according to JAAN.

Smugglers tend to use uncommon disguises to deceive port authorities, including camouflage that could harm trafficked animals. With a large quantity of vehicles passing through the port every day, it is easy for smugglers to pass port official’s visual examination.

“We learned at Tanjung Priok Port’s animal quarantine that birds were smuggled inside bamboo tubes. We are terrified when we see how endangered animals are treated,” JAAN founder Femke den Haas said.

But, Bailey has a weapon that, according to the Scent Imprint for Dogs, makes her the most effective tool to combat smuggling compared to any human-made detecting device: her nose.

“The scent of the hidden animals won’t escape Bailey’s nostrils,” said Wesley Visscher, the director of Scent Imprint for Dogs, which has successfully trained dogs to combat the ivory trade in Africa.

“It will send a message to smugglers that the police are taking assertive measures to tackle poaching and illegal animal trading,” he said.

Bailey, who will celebrate her first birthday in May, arrived in Indonesia and started her probation last week at ports in Lampung and Tanjung Priok, East Java.

Bailey is also the first cocker spaniel to join the canine force, which consists mostly of sturdy, muscular German shepherds.

Cocker spaniels like Bailey, Femke said, are small, friendly dogs that will not scare people traveling through ports.

“Although she looks different from typical police dogs, Bailey is a highly motivated worker. We believe any breed can be trained to be a sniffer dog as long as the dog is physically fit and highly motivated,” she said.

Bailey was trained regularly using samples of primates, birds and other animals prone to smuggling in the Netherlands.

“Training dogs to detect scents of various kinds of animal is more difficult than training them to detect narcotics and explosives, which always have a similar scent. Smuggled animals smell differently depending on the kind of species,” animal police training unit chief Sr. Comr. Hisar Siallagan said.

In Jakarta, she will continue her routine regularly under the supervision of the National Police’s animal police training unit and JAAN to keep her skills sharp.

“The trainer will give Bailey her favorite doll and a hug to show appreciation every time she successfully detects a sample,” Femke said.

Bailey’s presence is expected to uncover a number of cases of wildlife trafficking, said Hisar.

“The wildlife of Indonesia’s jungles is a world heritage. The responsibility to protect it is not only for the nation’s interest, but also for the world,” he said. (gis)

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