Endangered Wildlife Trust Appeals for Public Support to Fund Conservation Dog Units
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has launched a public fundraising appeal to sustain its team of highly trained working dogs deployed across South Africa in anti-poaching, detection, tracking, and wildlife research operations. The canine units assist conservation teams in detecting illegal wildlife products, identifying snares, and locating rare and endangered species - including geometric tortoises, riverine rabbits, and threatened amphibians. The EWT noted that despite delivering significant impact in the field, working dogs remain among the least recognised and publicly supported elements of conservation work.
The current team includes Belgian Malinois Kisha and Dutch Shepherd Ruger, specialising in detection and tracking respectively, alongside German Shepherds Remi and Gold, fellow Malinois Juice, Reaper and Mufasa, and border collies Dash and Delta - the latter pair trained to locate endangered species in the field. The youngest recruit, a 10-month-old Malinois named Cliff, is currently undergoing training. The EWT said donations will help cover the care, training, and deployment costs of the dogs, sustaining anti-poaching and research capacity at a time of growing threats to South Africa's biodiversity. Those wishing to contribute can visit the Endangered Wildlife Trust's website at www.ewt.org.za.
Source: The Witness
