Mapungubwe gets four-legged assistants to fight poaching

Park rangers in Mapungubwe have found new friends to help them in their anti-poaching operations. The honorary rangers, with the help of Woolworths, donated two sniffer dogs to the park last weekend.

The dogs, Stacey and Mascot, have been trained to track human scent, to sniff out rhino horn and ammunition as well as protect their human colleagues.

“They also possess natural instincts that are further enhanced by training and will assist greatly in the park, where cases of smuggling, poaching and border jumping are prevalent. They are able to overcome counter-measures where poachers might try to confuse the dog and this makes them incredibly useful and important members of the counter-poaching teams,” said Mr Conrad Strauss, the manager of Mapungubwe National Park.

Strauss added that the dogs will be performing the following duties: searching vehicles entering and exiting the park, tracking and patrolling, including fence, riverine and border areas. “We are truly excited about the addition to our ranger corps, which will assist us greatly in our conservation efforts, not only in Mapungubwe National Park, but also within the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Area,” he added.

Date:12 February 2016

By: Silas Nduvheni

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