Royal Rhino
  • Home
  • Organic Wines
    • Cream Liqueur
  • Conservation
    • Rhino Facts
    • Donate
    • Raise Funds
  • Shop
  • Contact
Select Page

Canine ‘inspectors’ doing their part for rhinos

by royalrhino | Jun 2, 2016 | Conservation |

Canine ‘inspectors’ doing their part for rhinos

By Jorisna Bonthuys

Their skills are second to none,” says Kirsty Brebner, who manages the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Rhino Project. EWT has been involved in the deployment of anti-poaching tracking dogs in reserves, as well as sniffer dogs at airports and parks over the last few years.

These “rhino” dogs are highly trainable, agile and super efficient, says Brebner. “Their extraordinary sense of smell can be put to great use in conservation.”

Dogs are used worldwide for a variety of conservation projects, including tracking certain species (like whales and tortoises) and to prevent trafficking in wildlife products (like pangolins and bush meat). Now working dogs – mostly Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds – are also making their mark in the ongoing fight against rhino poaching.

EWT “employs” sniffer dogs (to detect wildlife contraband and ammunition) as part of ongoing efforts to support law enforcement agencies to disrupt poaching activities. There are also examples of dogs used to track and apprehend poachers as well as rhino orphan dogs used elsewhere in the country.

EWT is really proud of its canine team deployed at OR Tambo Airport, says Brebner. The team currently has four members – “Rico”, “Condor”, “Renaldo” and “Hitch”. All of them were carefully chosen for their natural working abilities as well as temperament.

It requires hours of training to keep the high-drive dogs fit for purpose (both physically and mentally), she says. This hard work has already paid off. “The airport dogs had success in finding rhino horn and ivory consignments when first deployed in 2012,” says Brebner. “Since then we have had no busts, showing that their presence in the cargo section acts as a huge deterrent to people trafficking in rhino horn and ivory.”

It is not always easy working in noisy warehouses amidst thousands of containers, boxes and smells. The work is intense and the dogs work in short shifts with breaks for resting time in between. “Rhino horn is more difficult to detect than drugs or explosives, especially if it is hidden away in cargo containers. It requires hard work,” says Brebner, “Rhino horn does not have the same volatile organic compounds and strong smell to a dog like narcotics or explosives do. The dogs’ skills needs to be constantly calibrated for the environment in which they work.”

The training programme is therefore grounded in the way that dogs actually “see” the world through smell. (Humans have approximately 6 million scent receptors in their noses; dogs can have upwards of 200 to 300 million enabling them to experience the world visually.)

Currently most of the canine team’s efforts at the airport are focused on high-risk flights, including to the Far East. This region is currently the major market for rhino horn.

In this line of work the relationship between the handler and the dog is extremely important, she says. “They are part of the same team. This is why the handlers also have first option to provide a home in the sun for these dogs once it is time for their retirement.”

EWT hopes to expand this part of its work in future, says Brebner. “We believe our canine team is playing an important part in disrupting rhino trade routes.”

**For more information on EWT’s work with rhino conservation and the “rhino dogs” in particular, visit https://www.ewt.org.za/RHINO/dog.html.

Pictures courtesy of the Endangered Wildlife Trust

Recent Posts

  • All revealed on the war on rhino horns in award-winning documentary
  • Finally, a strong decline in rhino poaching.
  • What 2018 Meant to Rhinos

Categories

  • Awareness
  • Conservation
  • Dr Ian Player
  • Fundraising
  • General
  • Rhino species
  • Science
  • Trade in rhino horn
  • Uncategorized
  • Wine range

  

By Van Loveren Wines.


DRINK RESPONSIBLY. NOT FOR SALE TO PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18.

Pages

  • Home
  • Organic Wines
    • Cream Liqueur
  • Conservation
    • Rhino Facts
    • Donate
    • Raise Funds
  • Shop
  • Contact

Get In Touch

  • PO BOX 19
    Robertson
    South Africa
    6767
  • 023-615 1505
  • info@vanloveren.co.za

Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

  • All revealed on the war on rhino horns in award-winning documentary
  • Finally, a strong decline in rhino poaching.
  • What 2018 Meant to Rhinos
  • Young Capetonian wins International Eco-Hero award
  • The 3 most promising solutions to rhino poaching
  • Hope for the northern white rhino subspecies: rhino impregnated in California
By continuing the use of our Website, you are explicitly and actively consenting to our processing of your personal information as per our Privacy Policy.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

SAVE & ACCEPT
x