Dogs a poacher’s worst enemy
The K9 anti-poaching unit in KNP is a force to be reckoned with
SKUKUZA – There are at least 30 poachers in the Kruger National Park (KNP) at any given time, on any given day. Taking the size of Kruger (two million hectares) into account, the pressure on anti-poaching units is relentless.
However, it seems as if the specialised dog unit can break the back of this onslaught.
The canine anti-poaching unit has 24 trained tracking and patrol as well as 17 detection dogs. According to the head of this unit at the Fox Hole, the anti-poaching headquarters at the Skukuza Airport, Mr Bruce Leslie, canines have proven to be important in anti-poaching efforts.
“The proactive approach, to identify and apprehend poachers before they are able to poach, already had a huge impact on poaching efforts in the park. We have on average three or four incursions per day and we have been able to prevent them from doing what they came for. I’m very happy.”
A former dog handler in the SAPS K9 Unit, Mr Johan de Beer, told Lowvelder that the things you could teach a dog are limitless. “We are using Belgian Malinois dogs exclusively for tracking human suspects, to detect firearms and bullet casings. They can also restrain and detain suspects and other functions include road blocks and vehicle searches.”
De Beer has been working as dog master at SANParks for four years.
The anti-poaching dog unit has, since its inception in 2011, analysed which breeds are the best to be used for different tasks.
The Belgian Malinois for scent, attack and tracking, the English foxhounds for scent and tracking, and springer spaniels to sniff out firearms and rhino horns.
“We hope to have 44 detection dogs trained by the end of the year. To have sniffing dogs at all the gates to the park is also on our agenda,” Leslie added.
De Beer has managed to streamline matching a dog to a handler and to a certain operation. “There are two rangers and one dog in any anti-poaching dog unit in the park. While the dog would follow a scent, one of the rangers will cover the back of the dog handler and his dog. This seems to be the most successful approach,” he added.
