Georgie Pearce and Owen van Rooyen, members of Peace Parks Foundation’s communication team, got the opportunity to spend some time in the field, and collect some great storytelling content (which they write about and create videos about), with a visit to the Southern African Wildlife College just outside Hoedspruit, within the Kruger National Park.
The Southern African Wildlife College was established in 1997 to equip people with the necessary knowledge and applied skills to conserve and protect Africa’s natural resources and its biodiversity in viable, inclusive, and economically successful ways. The college, supported by Peace Parks Foundation, hosts programmes that cover the full spectrum of skills needed to sustain and rehabilitate wildlife areas.
Georgie and Owen’s first exciting visit on their trip was to the K9 Detection Unit. In response to rising levels of wildlife crime, particularly rhino poaching, in the Greater Kruger area, the K9 unit was established in 2015 to train and deploy field rangers with specially trained dogs. The unit currently has 35 dogs, all unique breeds with amazing talents, trained to assist in combating wildlife crime. While these dogs might be adorable, they are nonetheless professional detectives and trackers, and in 2021 alone, the K9 unit saved 70 rhinos and secured 176 arrests.
Some dogs are specifically trained to be detection dogs, sniffing out wildlife loot, from rhino horns and pangolin scales to ivory and lion claws. Then there are the trained poacher-trackers; some of which are free-running, whilst others track on a long leash. Georgie had to hold on tight when given the chance to track with one of the dogs on a long leash, with the dense bush proving much more treacherous for Georgie than them!
The highly successful free-running tracker dogs require no handler on the ground, so they aren’t held back by slow humans. Instead, a rapid response team follows from the air and lands once the dogs have surrounded suspected poachers. Incredibly, earlier this year, two dogs successfully tracked two poachers upstream, proving that they can follow a scent trail even through water!
You can help combat wildlife crime by supporting the K9 unit. Stay tuned to PeaceParks.TV for the next installment of Georgie and Owen’s trip, where they take to the air during a visit to the college’s Aerial Support Unit!
