Project Rhino K9 Unit: Defending African Wildlife

It has been another demanding few months for the Project Rhino K9 team, who have been tested physically and emotionally – but always rise to the challenge.

Tragically, the K9-Unit was called out to a rhino poaching incident in June when a white rhino cow was shot and both horns removed. The K9 team responded immediately and arrived on scene at approximately 22h40 in the evening. There were no visible tracks, however, the team took the lead and started following a scent cone. The scent was followed right through the night, covering a massive 20+ kilometres, through three neighbouring reserves, covering mountainous areas and bushveld terrain. A baseball cap was recovered, but unfortunately, the K9 team lost the scent as they reached the N2 highway at 04h50. The team returned to the crime scene and our detection dog located 2 x empty cartridges which provided vital evidence and assistance to the South African Police Services (SAPS) on shot placement.

Despite this, there have also been a number of success stories:

• In June, a crime intelligence-driven operation was conducted during which two suspects were arrested for being in possession of counterfeit goods worth R1,000,000. Two vehicles were also confiscated by the SAPS. One suspect tried to bribe the team members with cash and this resulted in additional charges.
• Three African Rock Pythons were discovered and confiscated (on two separate occasions) and seven individuals handed over to SAPS for investigation.
• The K9 team assisted the Pongola SAPS & Alfa Security with a roadblock in Pongola town. The detection K9’s searched approximately 40 vehicles, but all vehicles were clear of illegal substances, animal parts, weapons and ammunition.
• Returning from patrol in July, the K9 unit came across a motor vehicle accident that had just happened. First on scene, the unit activated emergency services and started first aid until medical staff arrived. They then assisted with traffic and crowd control for the duration of the incident.
• More than 50 snares were removed from reserves during patrols and training exercises.

In addition to this, the team responded to numerous incidents of reserve incursions, fence theft, robberies and bushmeat poaching. In some instances, the team was supported by our Zululand Anti-Poaching Wing (ZAP-Wing) which provides additional aerial surveillance during tracking and detection.

Our K9s and handlers conduct training exercises on a daily basis. The team also joined Nyathi APU and facilitators from SA Wildlife College for an intensive week-long training programme in July. It was a highly successful programme as valuable training methods and advice were exchanged and the teams were led through real-life simulations to ensure they are fully prepared to deal with the dangers associated with wildlife crime. 

Keep an eye on our social media pages as our K9-Unit will be joining more than 200 African Wildlife Rangers from across the globe in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge. September is also rhino month and we celebrate Project Rhino’s ninth year of collaboration on World Rhino Day 22 September.

Thank you to all our GlobalGiving partners, friends and donors for your on-going support. A huge thank you to Rhino Recovery Fund (administered by the Wildlife Conservation Network) and TUSK who are generously contributing to our K9, ZAP-Wing and coordination efforts over the next few months, as our fundraising events have been severely impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis. Thank you also to Wessa Lowveld who donated 6 pairs of military army boots to the K9 handlers, as well as One Plan for sponsoring our K9 and health insurance.