Project Rhino K9 Unit: Defending African Wildlife

Dear friends and supporters

The canine’s capacity for odour detection has been reported to be as much as 10,000–100,000 times that of the average human.

With around 300 million scent receptors compared to about 5-6 million in humans, this allows dogs to detect scents at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can.

Over the last 24 months, thanks to your generosity, our K9 team has achieved the following:

• Removed 2,706 snares during patrols.
• Responded to 188 emergency callouts.
• Assisted in apprehending 38 criminals.
• Recovered stolen goods in 19 incidents.
• Recovered 9 hijacked vehicles.
• Responded to 10 armed robbery/burglary cases.
• Dealt with 1 abduction case and successfully found the missing person.
• Retrieved poached rhino horn from 2 vehicles.
• Seized narcotics in 3 separate incidents, leading to arrests and the recovery of +/- 6 kg of narcotics and 2 truckloads of counterfeit goods worth R15 million.

Our K9 Unit remains on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When not responding to callouts, you’ll find them on foot patrols, at vehicle checkpoints, training alongside anti-poaching units, or sharing environmental education with schools and local communities.

Additionally, our team proudly participates in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge each year, tackling a series of challenges from June to September, culminating in a 21km race (while carrying over 20 kg of equipment) in September. This event is the world’s largest celebration of solidarity, support, and fundraising for wildlife rangers.

Thank you once again to all our generous GlobalGiving donors for your incredible support. Your contributions make it possible for our K9 Unit to continue protecting wildlife and making a difference. Please follow our social media pages for more updates on our K9 Unit and other projects and programmes.