Southern African Wildlife College have shared yet another success story of their free-running K9 unit after the dogs apprehended two suspected poachers
Kruger National Park – A task force of anti-poaching units took down two suspected poachers who were foiled in their attempts to poach within the park. The team was made up of pack dogs, field rangers, and aerial support pilots.
According to the Southern African Wildlife College, these teams were instrumental in successfully stopping two suspected poachers in the Kruger Park.
“The suspects were arrested and their weapons seized before any harm was done. We continue to work hard alongside supporting counter-poaching teams to reduce incidences in the area of operation and are proud of the work being done. Thanks to our donors and partners for ongoing support!”
The dogs were trained and brought in from Texas to assist with anti-poaching efforts last year. They were taken out on their very first live run and apprehended poachers, proving their success.
Free-running packs are still fairly new to South Africa, the standard one dog on a lead is still highly successful, take a look at the incredible Annie’s story here. However, free-running packs offer a different method, they can track at high speeds over difficult terrain. During recent exercises, the packs have covered over 30 kilometers in two hours.
The pack can run at 40 kilometers per hour. This means rangers must use aerial support to follow the dogs. Their speed allows rangers to catch up valuable time in the field when poachers are on the run.
The reason these dogs were brought in from Texas was that they come from a long line of tracking dogs, trained specifically to track human scent. The dogs are used in law inforcement across the USA and have a very high success rate.
“They are a force multiplier, which allows field rangers to be more effective when trying to combat wildlife crime.As their successes increase, so do the risks they face. This is why the College needs ongoing support, most immediately for security upgrades for these valuable, hard working dogs,” – Theresa Sowry, CEO.
If you would like to help the college support these dogs, you can do so via their GivenGain crowdfund here.
by 
Great job, everyone!
Yes for poachers from China