Forging a bond

Spending a day outdoors on All Terrain Vehicles (ATV’s) with your dogs at your side hardly sounds like work, but for three pooches and their handlers at King Shaka International it is just another day at the office.

Indhrasen Govender – better known as “Dudes” – Adrian Naicker and Petronella Mzimela are from Wildlife Control at the airport and spend their days working with a trio of border collies to keep the airport free of animals such as birds, snakes, feral cats and more.

Also read: A portion of genius at King Shaka International Airport

Dudes and Naicker have 15 and 10 years’ experience working with dogs, while Mzimela is the new comer, with just three years.

They work with Don (12), Buzz (7) and Troy (2), their three collies. Naicker, who handles Troy, told the Courier a unique bond forms between each canine and its handler.

“Obedience is of paramount importance. There are very large planes moving around out there, so when I say stop – verbally or with the whistle – Troy needs to obey without hesitation.”

He explained that the dogs came with two years of training when they are bought and that further training then takes place at the airport.

“When Troy first got here he was very nervous, it takes them some time to get used to the noise at the airport. Eventually they will get used to it and start bonding with their trainer and that is when we continue with their training,” said Naicker.

Apparently, one of their biggest concerns was black mambas as they love to come out and lie on the warm tarmac.

“It is imperative that a handler knows how to deal with these snakes and what to do in the event of a bite.”

Dudes told the Courier that there had originally been no dedicated wildlife unit at the airport.

“Adrian and I were fully-fledged firefighters here at King Shaka and we used to handle the animals under that umbrella. Now a specialised Wildlife Control unit has been created and we moved over.”

Dudes, who works with the seven-year-old Buzz, said their day starts out on the runways at sunrise as that was when the most birds and animals came out.

“Overall, the dogs probably cover between four and six kilometers every day. The dogs need to be kept busy, both physically and mentally,” he said.

“Every day is a different challenge, so we have to bond well enough with our dogs that we understand one another and can predict what they will do.”

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