MBOMBELA – A Belgian Malinois called Killer has become a key player in the case against two Mozambicans accused of rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park (KNP). Mr Andilino Mulcube (20) and Mr Jeremano Tive (20) appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Tuesday.
The two accused were apprehended after a SANParks ranger and his dog tracked the accused after finding a dead rhino with its horn half hacked off in the Nwanetsi area of the KNP on January 19, 2013.
They were apparently also in possession of rhino horn.
Killer’s trainer Mr Henry Holsthyzen and owner of Paramount Group, which supply working dogs to the rangers park, testified in court about his skills and training.
State prosecutor Adv Isabet Erwee asked Holsthyzen about his experience with animals. He said he had trained under the world leader in animal behaviour Prof Johannes Odendaal for many years and had supplied canines as security to national and international organisations.
Holsthyzen recounted Killer’s family history and told the court that his mother had been bred from two well-known Belgian police dogs which had a bounty placed on their heads.
They were then put into an exchange programme and came to South Africa for protection.
His father’s parental heritage was from the USA. They had served in the war in Iraq.
He then explained how Killer had to be introduced to the KNP at an early age to desensitise him to wild animals so that he would not be sidetracked but focus on tracking humans.
“It is a two-year training process,” said Holsthyzen.
He stated that even the blood of a rhino would not distract the canine from tracking a human.
He also explained how the KNP had first used Rhodesian ridgebacks but they were only effective in tracking dangerous wild animals as they were bred for hunting purposes.
“They then brought in police dogs but they were out of their depth in a strange environment and became distracted by all the smells to which they had never been exposed.”
Killer’s handler, who is a ranger and cannot be identified for safety reasons, then testified that the horns that had been seized were freshly cut. “It was evident that they had been freshly cut as they still had blood on them. They were from a white rhino,” he said.
The ranger said he and Killer had first tracked three suspects. Once they had caught two, the suspects said their accomplice had run away and taken the firearm with him. According to the handler, Killer helped him by following the scent of suspects in places he could not see. “It is much faster to catch them.”
“He is my closest companion and I have full faith in him,” he concluded.
The matter stood down for cross-examination from the defence for July 28.
