Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/canines-africa-poachers/

A nonprofit group known as Canines for Africa (CFA) is set to deploy two working dogs into conservation areas in Zimbabwe in an effort to combat poaching. The organization offers logistical backup and support to wildlife conservation areas and game parks in South Africa. Working with Conraad de Rosner, the founder/director of K9 Conservation, they house approximately 20 dogs as part of their Canine University Education program.

Dogs on Patrol

Vianna von Weyhausen, the director of Canines for Africa, noted that the working dogs will arrive in Zimbabwe from South Africa on Nov. 20, 2022. The two animals being put into service for this particular project have had other jobs. For instance, Tsotsi, a foxhound-bluetick mix, was previously part of a leopard-hunting pack before being enlisted. Tsotsi will be deployed to the Bubye Valley Conservancy, an expansive tract of conservation land with an accompanying research center located on nearly one million acres. The other dog, Baron Curtis, a German shepherd-husky mix, was trained to detect ivory. He’ll be working on Zimbabwe’s largest natural reserve, Hwange.

Canines for Africa

CFA has been working in Zimbabwe since 2019 when it deployed its first working dog, Katana. A Malinois or Belgian shepherd, the dog spends its days working with an all-women anti-poaching unit there. Katana’s tremendous success has encouraged Canines for Africa to send more dogs into Zimbabwe, as well as Mozambique, Namibia, and Mali in West Africa. They’ve even begun branching eastward into Asia, where they operate in India’s Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Working Dogs

In addition to the two mixes and the Malinois, CFA works with other breeds, such as spaniels, bloodhounds, and Weimaraners, to fulfill a number of different positions within the ranks. Those jobs include fence patrol, tracking, detection, and anti-poaching activities. The latter of which desperately needs addressing.

Poaching in Africa

On top of the drought the continent has been experiencing this year, which has killed hundreds of animals, poaching in Africa continues to be a threat to the iconic wildlife living there. It is also thought to be responsible for evolutionary changes in numerous species, like shortened rhinoceros horns over the decades and the absence of tusks on female elephants in the east African country of Mozambique.

If you’d like to get involved in helping to bring about change, check out GreaterGood’s Project Peril, dedicated to preserving at-risk species and habitats. It is estimated that 1-in-5 species on Earth now faces extinction.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog