Goodbye to poachers: These dogs are trained to hunt hunters

Full-grown, a Belgian Malinois, part of the Belgian Shepherd family, stands at 2 feet and can weigh 65 pounds. Think you can outrun one? You can try, but it will likely be a short race, if you are on foot, with this breed able to reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

Owners of these dogs know that they are extremely intelligent, thus making them easy to train. Traditionally, these dogs were bred for herding, making them vigilant with high energy levels, according to the American Kennel Club.

These traits have been put to use in wildlife refuges across several African countries through an organization called Dogs4Wildlife, as a means to protect animals in areas where poachers have infiltrated.

Dogs and rangers are working together to stop poachers

The patrolling done by these dogs, along with their agility, makes it more difficult for hunters to kill or harm their target, as the dog can make noise that will scare the animal or distract the hunter. Project Murwi, run by Dogs4Wildlife, began in 2018 and works to reduce the poaching of rhinos in the Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy. The Anti-Poaching canine units are located in various “poaching hot-spots,” and in Imire, are seen as the "sworn protector and defender of a world-renowned White and Black Rhino breeding programme."

In the year following the program’s establishment, Dogs4Wildlife claimed to have seen results, with the dogs “thwarting numerous poaching attempts.” In the Phundundu wildlife, also located in Zimbabwe, the organization partnered with a female-led might be entering the reserve.

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