Livestock guardian dogs are just the start of how dogs help in conservation here at CCF. I've been lucky enough to go out with our two scat detection/anti-poaching dog handers Quentin and Tim. They are polar opposites yet the same all at once. Their dynamic is fiercely disagreeing all the time, but the trust and respect between the two is obvious. Quentin is from South Africa and Tim from Germany, and 8 years separate the two in age. Quentin was a ranger in SA and has done amazing anti-poaching work. Tim has more biology knowledge and background, so together they form a superhuman team of awesomeness.

Tim has Ole, a weimaraner who has been out of commission since I've been here due to a foot injury. Quentin has Levi, a 2 year german shepherd/belgian malinois mix. This dog is beyond well trained. His huge nose is trained to detect cheetah, caracal, leopard, and hyena scat. This helps labs find genetic material which can be used to population dynamics, disease research, and more. Levi can also detect gunpowder, rhino horn, and pangolin scale in order to take down poachers and smugglers trying to traffic material in and out of national parks.

Both men share responsibility for the female part of the team - two young malinois named Enya and Gamena. They are still in training, but very keen and ready to learn. They are sisters but use very different methods while working. Quentin always likes to say if there is someone trapped in a fire, Enya will jump through the fire to save them but Gamena will find a way around the fire. Both do their job well, but it is interesting to see their different personalities and tactics despite their relatedness.

Quentin and I spent a lot of time talking about dog training, treatment, and the perception of what working dogs should be. I have to say, this team inspires me. They treat their dogs as family, and never use negative reinforcement. They would do anything for their dogs, and see them as individual living beings and partners rather than just a tool, which can be the case with many working dogs. The incredible grit, humor, kindness, and passion in these two is why I work in conservation. Of course, I'd never tell them that!

A note on pictures…. The internet here does not support uploading more than one or two pictures at once, so stay tuned for a mass upload whenever I get somewhere that allows it.