Heddi the sniffer dog joins the fight against poaching
The newest member of the EKZNW anti-poaching team is Heddi the Belgian Shepherd.
USING every tool at its disposal, including sniffer dogs on the ground and choppers in the air, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW), along with its ZAP-Wing partners, is fighting rhino poaching harder than ever.
The newest member of the EKZNW anti-poaching team is Heddi the Belgian Shepherd.
Originally trained to sniff out contraband in warehouses and airports, Heddi is indispensable at rhino crime scenes where she detects spent rounds and ammunition, as well as sniffing out contraband at homesteads linked to rhino poaching.
While Heddi is currently this region’s only sniffer dog, plans are in place to train more sniffer and tracker dogs.
‘The dog makes our job much easier, especially at roadblocks and at homesteads where she sniffs out illegal items,’ said Kobi Ndwandwe, a field ranger in the EKZNW St Lucia Anti-Poaching Unit (APU).
By taking the fight against poaching outside the boundaries of protected areas, members of the joint committee are not only able to target criminals proven to be involved in poaching, but can be more proactive to the cause.
ZAP-Wing helicopters are indispensable in the fight against poaching and the team is in desperate need of donations to help keep the ‘eyes in the sky’ in the sky.
