July 07, Colombo (LNW): In the early hours of Friday (05), a shipment of 35 canines valued at Rs. 58 million arrived from the Netherlands at Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), destined for the Police Kennel Division.
The newly acquired canines include 13 Belgian Malinois, 12 German Shepherds, and 10 English Spaniels, sourced from the private breeding facility K-10 Working Dog.
The group comprises 21 females and 14 males, with two English Spaniel females currently pregnant and a Belgian Malinois female bred with a high-quality sire from the farm.
This latest acquisition follows a similar importation in 2018 aimed at enhancing the police service dog division.
The dogs travelled from the Netherlands via Qatar, arriving at the Airport’s air cargo terminal on Qatar Airways flight KR-662 at 2.05 am.
Upon arrival, the dogs were examined by veterinary officers at the Animal Quarantine Institute before being handed over to their trainers.
Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Talduwa, present at the airport, mentioned that these dogs will significantly contribute to the Western and Southern provinces’ efforts in drug detection and support the ‘Yukthiya’ operation.
Additionally, there are plans to initiate a local breeding programme to mitigate the costs associated with future imports.
With the inclusion of these new recruits, the Police Kennels now boasts a total of 372 service dogs.
After completing their training, these dogs will join the ranks to support various police operations.
