dogs can sniff out wildlife crime
dogs can sniff out wildlife crime
In Benin, we’re training detection dogs to help us disrupt trafficking networks.
Problem
Throughout West Africa, poachers kill pangolins, turtles, elephants and other wildlife. The animals’ body parts are then smuggled by ship or plane to markets in both Asia and Europe.
Detection dogs—like the ones you see at the airport—can “sniff out” shipments of animal parts in the same way that police dogs detect narcotics. IFAW offered the Beninese government to expand the security mission of the K9 Brigade in Cotonou to include the detection of protected wildlife specimens, but there were no established programs or best practices for training detection dogs in West Africa.
Solution
We developed a wildlife crime detection training program for dog units in the city of Cotonou.
While incorporating best practices and high animal welfare standards, the program allows dogs to become an integral part of the solution for disrupting the illegal wildlife trade. Often, this is the first time handlers have ever worked alongside detection dogs, so they too learn a lot about how to observe, monitor and take care of them. Once trained, units will deploy to strategic locations like ports, airports, border crossings, and the boundaries of protected wildlife habitats.
Impact
In this first project period, as agreed with the Beninese government, we have focused on renovating and modernizing the existing K9 Brigade facility, which included new and improved dog kennels, veterinary facilities, training areas, and office facilities.
Since then, we also selected and trained eight intended dogs, some of whom come from a specialized breeder that works with the French Army, others are from shelters in France or were selected from the local Laobé dog race. To drive the detection dogs, four volunteering officers from the Republican Police and four agents from the Water & Forest department graduated from their training. An officer also became a trainer's trainer.
All officers and dogs will receive continuous training throughout the project.
To increase our impact, we also work together with several partners that support the development of IFAW’s training program. The Belgian development agency Enabel finances a crucial part of the project, in particular by taking charge of the SAM Cargo system as a whole, part of the training, as well as recently the food for all the dogs in the brigade.
Morin offers a reduction if we purchase any dog equipment, and Ceva Santé Animale very kindly provides adapted veterinary products. In addition, in Benin we work together with local NGO Nature Tropicale who provide judicial training to the handlers that are being trained by IFAW.
Lastly, the first year of our work was co-funded by the Elephant Crisis Fund, while Almo Nature graciously provided for a few years the food for the detection dogs of the brigade,
Stay tuned for updates and stories on how the dogs and their handlers are doing!
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