
95% of arrests made at Kruger National Park were done with the help of dogs.
Since 2012 dogs have been playing a key role in the arrests of rhino poachers but their role in law enforcement dates back to the middle ages.
The amazing role played by dogs at Kruger National Park is now being recognised in a new documentary titled ‘Making Contact: A K9 Conservation Series’ which profiles the K9 anti-poaching units in South Africa’s nature reserves.
The documentary is created by Hill’s Pet Nutrition – an American company that produces dog and cat foods.
It is aimed at creating awareness around the roles that the trained dogs play when apprehending suspected rhino poachers in any of SANParks’ wildernesses.
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‘Making Contact’ is a 5-part series and plays for about 5 minutes each.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH DOCUMENTARY SERIES
The series takes you to the personal stories of five of the dogs and their handlers – how they work everyday in the battle against rhino poaching.
The K9 anti-poaching unit uses the Bloodhound, Belgian Malinois and Sheperd to track down suspects in the game reserves, detect guns and even help find stolen goods.
Dr Guy Fyvie, manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, said as a company they decided to sponsor close to 50 dogs in SANParks game reserves because protecting wildlife is in an international obligation. The company has been sponsoring the K9 units with food, equipment and healthcare for 10 years now.
“The wild areas and their inhabitants are where we go to keep our spirit alive, and these need to be conserved for generations to come,” Fyvie is quoted saying on Lowvelder.
Johan de Beer, K9 manager at Kruger National Park, said 95% of all arrested people were nailed using the help of the trained dogs. The unit is called K9 Conservation Unit.
“The K9 anti-poaching unit is considered a game changer for SANParks,” de Beer said.
“Well-trained dog breeds such as the bloodhound, Belgian Shepherd and Malinois are perfectly suited to track poachers and to detect firearms, ammunition and wildlife products that enter and exit through park gates,” he said.
K-9 or K9 is a homophone of ‘canine’, and is a universally standard name that is given to a dog specifically trained to assist members of law enforcement. Dogs have been used in law enforcement since the Middle Ages.
(edited by MLM)
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