BY VANESSA GUZHA
WILDLIFE conservationists in the Zambezi Valley have resorted to use of specialised tracker dogs to sniff out poachers.
This was confirmed by the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), which has introduced a canine unit at Phundulu Wildlife Reserve.
IAPF chief executive officer and founder Damien Mander said canine units had become ”extremely useful”as part of the operations along with the use of intelligence, given the limited resources available to curb poaching.
He said one of the females in the canine unit, Sergeant Basarokwe had worked closely with a dog called Katana for 18 months, and accounted for a number of poachers by following their tracks and allowing rangers to make arrests.
“Katana’s work can hopefully close the distance between our ranger teams and the people that have made incursions into our areas presumed to be poachers,” Mander said.
Zimbabwe is one of the countries hard hit by wildlife poaching.
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