Photo: Screenshot from CCTV News

The Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday that it has recently launched efforts to promote the use of the indigenous Kunming dog breed, a breed from Southwest China's Yunnan Province, in police work, according to a release on the ministry's official WeChat account. The initiative aims to fully tap and unleash the police service potential of this outstanding native breed, significantly increasing its proportion in national police dog teams and advancing the goal of achieving "world-class" police dog technology.

This measure is key to high-quality development of China's police dog operations and enhancing public security capabilities, the ministry said. It marks an important step in gaining independent control over police dog genetic resources and building a national brand.

After decades of practical testing, Kunming dogs are widely used in public security, emergency management, customs anti-smuggling and other fields. 

They have achieved repeated successes in odor identification, trail tracking, evidence search, counter-terrorism operations and emergency rescue, earning the title of true "silent warriors."

Moreover, as ambassadors of international police cooperation, Kunming dogs have been promoted to over 10 countries and regions, including Singapore, Vietnam and Pakistan, gaining widespread praise from international peers and serving as a shining "name card" showcasing China's police dog technology strength.

According to the ministry, an official noted that global competition in police dog technology is intensifying. Possessing stable, high-quality sources of working dogs adapted to local environments is a core element in mastering initiative in police dog technology development.

The Kunming dog breed dates back to the 1950s. Through decades of dedicated efforts by the Kunming police dog base, using scientific group successive selection breeding methods, this excellent working dog breed was successfully created. 

In 1988, the breed passed ministry verification and was officially named the "Kunming dog." 

In 2007, it was approved by the National Commission on Genetic Resources for Livestock and Poultry and included in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's World Watch List for domestic animal diversity, becoming China's first and currently only police dog breed with full independent intellectual property rights recognized by an international organization.

To date, related research projects on the Kunming dog have won multiple awards, including the Second Prize of National Science and Technology Progress, highlighting its scientific and innovative value.



Global Times