Dog tracks a poacher 4.5km straight to his front door after he killed a warthog in Zimbabwe
When it comes to good dogs, this girl might just be the very best.
Shinga, a Belgian Malinois bred and trained in the UK, tracked a poacher 4.5km to his own front door after an illegal warthog killing in Zimbabwe.
The four-year-old is a specialist conservation dog who was deployed to Africa in the fight against wildlife crime and poaching.
She was trained by ‘Dogs 4 Wildlife’ in Carmarthenshire, South Wales, before being sent to The Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy.
Last week her K9 Unit received a radio call reporting poachers spotted near the Imire boundary, accompanied by a pack of hunting dogs.
The team immediately went out but the poachers, by that time, had captured and killed a warthog before fleeing back to the local community.
Shinga was deployed and, remarkably, was able to trail a poacher approximately 4.5km all the way back to their home.
There, they were found alongside the dead warthog, and arrested.
When it comes to good dogs, this girl might just be the very best. Shinga, a Belgian Malinois bred and trained in the UK, tracked a poacher 4.5km to his own front door after an illegal warthog killing in Zimbabwe
Darren Priddle, founder and director of Dogs 4 Wildlife, said: ‘The warthog poaching incident really demonstrates why collaboration, partnership, teamwork and dedication are the cornerstones for effective long-term conservation efforts and why our Specialist Conservation Dogs are so important in the ongoing fight against wildlife crime.
‘Shinga and the whole unit did a phenomenal job in apprehending the poacher and we are extremely proud of them all.’
Jacqui Law, co-founder and director of the not-for-profit organisation, added: ‘Because of the diligence of Imire’s teams on the ground, this incident had a good outcome and the poacher was apprehended but this is just one of many heartbreaking incidents of snare poaching that occurs all across Africa.
‘Snare poaching does not discriminate on what species of animals it wounds or kills. This is a torturous method of catching wildlife for bushmeat.’
Last year Dan, another Dogs 4 Wildlife protégé, saved an 18-month-old White Rhino calf from a poaching incident in South Africa.
The calf, named Viola, had been caught in a snare with her mother nearby. The Project Rhino’s anti-poaching and K9 unit, along with Dan, spotted the rhino in distress and were able to rescue her.
In total, there are 15 operational dogs across four Southern African countries in a bid to tackle the illegal hunting of animals and snare poaching.
The dogs have helped to achieve up to a 75 per cent reduction in poaching numbers in some areas.