US dogs to aid Kruger rangers
COUNTER-poaching pack hounds from the US have arrived in South Africa and will join the Southern African Wildlife College’s K9 Unit for training and deployment in the Greater Kruger National Park.
The first of a team of 10 counter-poaching dogs arrived at OR Tambo International Airport this week.
On-leash tracker dogs are commonly used by counter-poaching teams, but pack dogs that run off-leash are relatively new to the scene and already proving their worth. They can track at high speeds over the most difficult terrains.
Recent exercises have seen them cover 30km in two hours. Their top speeds, measured regularly over short distances, are around 40km/h.
Using aerial support to follow the dogs will allow the rangers to make up valuable time in the field.
College chief executive Theresa Sowry said the institution was incredibly excited to work with the dogs.
“Our early successes with free-running pack dogs have shown us how effective they are in the field.
“These dogs are also trained in apprehension work and will actively help rangers stop poachers in their tracks,” she said.
The new dogs are a cross between black and tan Redbone hound breeds. The college – established in 2015 with funding from the World Wide Fund and Nedbank Green Trust – will work with the dogs to deploy them to hold poachers at bay, while waiting for rangers to arrive.
Once all the dogs have arrived – only a maximum of five can be transported per flight, given their size – they will travel to the college’s stateof-the art K9 Unit.
Further assistance provided by the International Fund for Animal Welfare helps support the unit’s increasing running costs.
“Adding tracker dogs to the field-ranger teams has really changed the game, but as their successes increase, so to do the risks they face. This is why the college needs ongoing support, most immediately for security upgrades for these valuable, hard-working dogs,” Sowry said.
“They’re real conservation heroes that complement the work being done by field rangers, through aerial support and within communities as part of our four-tiered strategy to counter poaching.
“We can’t wait to see what these new additions from the US bring to the team.”
The Ivan Carter Wildlife Conservation Alliance and its donors, including the Nelson Puett Foundation, have provided support for the transport and ongoing expenses of this valuable pack of hounds from the US.
Other South African-based donors that have pledged their support include Global Paws, who assisted with the applications for the dogs’ import permit authorisations and customs pre-clearance.