Park’s Canine Unit: Evaluates, retrains dogs and Provides medical attention

By Thabiso NKUNA

The park’s main canine unit is used for evaluation, retraining, and medical attention of dogs that need medical attention. Dogs have proven to be a game changer in their operations, with arresting rates at 5 to 6%. The first three dogs introduced increased their numbers to 40 to 60%, followed by the introduction of Belgian Malinois, Cold Sent Tracking Dogs, Bloodhounds Pure, and Doberman Bloodhound Cross.

The doberman Bloodhound cross has a 95% chance of making an arrest or reaching the end point when deployed alone. They also deploy detection dogs at the gate, detecting explosives, wildlife products, ammunition, guns, and endangered species. One dog, trained by Green Checks in cooperation with Genesis K9, detects a scent of poachers while the Polaris motorbike is on move.

If successful, this approach could save 10 steps ahead of traditional ranger sections, as it doesn’t require dragging tires or grade detection zones. Vegetation on the ground makes it easier for dogs to pick up scents and saves time. The use of dogs has also reduced the need for visual traits, as they can detect problems more quickly.

The park works with the satellite hounds unit, Unity, a standalone unit from the Southern African Wildlife College. They have signed an MU memorandum of understanding with Unity to help combat the war they face in the park. Dogs help cut time and distance, as time and distance are their worst enemies.

In summary, the park’s use of dogs has been a game changer in their operations, improving their force multiplier and reducing the need for Ranger sections to drag tires or grade detection zones. The project, which aims to keep domesticated dogs in a climate that is not forgiving, has been successful so far. However, challenges such as snake bites, lion attacks, and the introduction of domesticated dogs have been introduced. The environment is also challenging, with hot temperatures, cold temperatures, and terrain. Genetically, the introduction of German shepherds has led to a collapsed gene pool and expensive maintenance. The project also faces challenges in selecting the right dogs for the environment, as well as maintaining the existing dog population.