A K9 dog was killed by a crocodile in the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Saturday, October 26.

According to the KNP’s spokesperson, Isaac Phaahla, the dog, a Dobermann/bloodhound cross named Ben, was a tracking dog and a valuable member of the anti-poaching team for the past eight years. He had assisted the rangers in arresting several poachers.

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Ben was killed while the SANParks rangers and the K9 Unit were doing their regular training exercise.

“The dogs ran to drink some water at the Sabie River. The dog got attacked by a crocodile. The rangers tried to rescue him without any success. It is a setback as it takes a while to acclimatise and find suitable dogs to work in the tough KNP environment. To the entire K9 team, especially the handler who lost a companion, we wish you strength during this tough period,” Phaahla said.

He also said Ben was described as a good dog and that he was easy to work with. He was one of the best when it came to tracking poachers.