ADDO Elephant National Park’s K9 Unit received an obstacle course to keep them in top form all year round, thanks to generous donations from local business owners and with the assistance of the park’s Honorary Rangers.
Addo’s Conservation Manager, Cathy Dreyer, said the obstacle courses have been proven to help reinforce basic obedience commands, improve dog and owner communication and ultimately help to improve dogs’ behaviour outside of the agility course.
“Addo’s K9 Unit is made up of four dogs which have been deployed throughout the park’s various sections. The obstacle course will ensure that both the dogs and their handlers remain fit and strong and that they receive continuous training,” Dreyer said.
She further said the dogs are regularly put through their paces searching vehicles at the park’s entry and exit gates and doing general patrolling with their handlers.
The new obstacle course was made possible through the donation of wood by Woody’s Timber & Boards’ owner John Hallam and managing director Jason Bekker.
Additional wood, hardware and plans for the course were donated by Loftie Deysel from Robbie Deysel Engineering.
Several of the park’s Honorary Rangers and friends worked hard to assemble the course over a two-week period.
Dreyer said the handover forms part of the K9 Watchdog National Project, a national initiative of the South African National Parks Honorary Rangers, which has been in operation for the past seven years.
She said the project has already achieved enormous success.
“The dogs’ incredible scenting abilities are undeniable. Wherever they operate, the poaching figures drop, and the arrest rate rises. Well-trained dogs are perfectly suited to track poachers in the field and detect firearms, ammunition and wildlife products that enter and exit through the park’s gates. These remarkable dogs can follow an hours-old scent over impressive distances,” she said.
There are currently over 80 working dogs in the SANParks which are contributing immensely to anti-poaching operations. It is a game changer nationally with 90% of all captures of poachers related to the K9 and its handler. This is a huge benefit to the rhino and elephant conservation efforts.
SANParks Honorary Rangers is the official volunteer organization of SANParks. Over the past 10 years, they have provided SANParks with nearly R250 million in public and business donations and volunteer support.
