On The Scent: Meet the Dogs Protecting 200 Rhinos

Over the last few months, Ol Pejeta's canine unit have been very busy with their training, and their wildlife protection activities. This includes a recent bushmeat incident within the landscape, involving our ranger team and canine unit.

Whilst illegal, bushmeat hunting has been on the rise in some remote parts of the region, possibly due to prolonged drought conditions impacting food security. Ol Pejeta works closely with the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) and local authorities to help reduce crime within local communities and ensure that wildlife and people live in harmony. Unfortunately, there has been little success in catching offenders, and more recently Ol Pejeta’s K9 unit were called to step in and assist the local community.

In April, Ol Pejeta received reports of bushmeat hunting and intrusions on a nearby farm. In response, our Anti-Poaching and K9 team were deployed to the scene. Upon arrival at the farm, the team located and confirmed that 50 snares had been placed across the farm for the purpose of ensnaring wildlife for bushmeat. One of the snares had caught an antelope, and the suspects had made away with the meat, leaving solely the head behind. Using the scent from the snares, tracker dog Stecy pursued the suspects to herder housing in a nearby cattle farm. A quick search of houses revealed bushmeat suspected to be from the snares found earlier that day. The evidence was handed over to the KWS and national police to take appropriate action.

Incidents like this highlight the value of the ranger team and eight dogs in the K9 unit, whose sense of smell and unique set of skills provide valuable support to both community and wildlife. It is with enormous thanks and gratitude to our ranger team and eight dogs for their diligence and daily sacrifice on the frontline.

Together we are a team, and it is the combined effort of our global community and supporters, and those on the ground, that enables us to continue ensuring both people and wildlife remain protected and safe. Thank you for your contribution to this effort.

All eight dogs and their 12 handlers on Ol Pejeta's K9 unit are well and thriving! We are sincerely grateful for your support in the last few months, which has enabled the team to respond to more than 100 incidents of human wildlife conflict, castle rustling, stock theft, house thefts and anti-poaching patrols.

In February, our teams were called out to the southern boundary fence line early one morning. The footprints of two suspected poachers had been identified by our fencing patrol. 

The K9 unit immediately got to work, dividing into two teams with one ensuring the conservancy was clear and the other tracking outside the fence line. After tracking for over 3km, track dog Otis found where the suspected poachers entered the conservancy, and then supported the team to do a thorough check of the Conservancy, concluding that luckily no poaching had occurred.
Meanwhile, track dog Malaika and Suga took it in turns for several kilometres at a time, to track the suspects to where they went outside our fence line. Their persistence paid off as they managed to apprehend the suspects and facilitated two arrests by the police.

This serves as a stark reminder of the very real and present poaching threat. We’re grateful for our diligent staff and hardworking K9s and handlers for their work in securing a safe space for survival.

By supporting Ol Pejeta's K9 unit, you have actively contributed to securing the Conservancy from poaching threats, incursions, and conflict. As a critical pillar of our security team, your support helps keep the K9 unit operational, ensuring regular refresher training and vet checks covering deworming, vaccinations against rabies, as well as providing the right nutrition they need to maintain a good and healthy condition. The resulting impact ensures our tracker dogs are fit, healthy and highly-trained. Thank you very much.