Conservation
canine
Unit
What is the conservation canine unit?
The EWT’s Canine Conservation Unit (CCU) is a special project established to support the conservation efforts of the EWT through scent detection and tracking dog services. The unit is also available as a service provider to our
What is the Conservation Canine Unit?
The EWT’s Canine Conservation Unit (CCU) deploys specially trained dogs to protect wildlife through scent detection and tracking. These powerful conservation tools serve two key roles:
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Anti-poaching K9s track intruders, find snares and weapons, and gather crime scene evidence.
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Detection K9s sniff out illegal wildlife products, plants, and animal parts to stop trafficking.
Beyond direct fieldwork, the unit supports partners and landowners by providing trained K9 teams for conservation tasks. To maximise impact, the EWT also certifies handlers and develops innovative new canine applications – keeping us at the forefront of conservation K9 science.
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dogs
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pack members
Conservation canine projects
Anti-Poaching Canines: South Africa’s Wildlife Crime Fighters
The EWT’s highly trained anti-poaching dogs perform vital conservation work. These remarkable canines:
- Track poachers through difficult terrain
- Locate hidden snares and traps
- Detect firearms and ammunition
- Find crucial evidence at crime scenes
Our detection dogs also sniff out illegal wildlife products including:
- Ivory
- Rhino horn
- Pangolin scales
- Lion bones
These items are directly linked to poaching networks across South Africa.
How Our Conservation K9 Teams Make an Impact
The EWT’s certified Conservation K9 units serve two critical functions in combating wildlife crime:
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Anti-poaching operations – Supporting game reserves with tracking and detection
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Border protection – Intercepting wildlife contraband before export
Our specially trained handler-dog teams provide an essential frontline defence against poaching and wildlife trafficking.
K9 Units Protecting South Africa’s Nature Reserves
Our specially trained conservation K9 teams play a vital role in safeguarding protected areas. We provide:
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Expertly trained detection and tracking dogs
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Fully qualified handlers
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Ongoing refresher training programmes
Key Reserve Operations
At Pilanesberg Nature Reserve (North West Province), our K9 units:
- Conduct thorough vehicle searches at all entry/exit points
- Screen for firearms, ammunition and illegal wildlife products
- Target rhino horn, ivory, pangolin scales and lion bones
- Patrol reserve boundaries to detect illegal incursions
- Investigate poaching incidents with tracking dogs
Additional Reserve Partnerships
We currently have operational K9 units at:
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Makalali Private Game Reserve
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Sabi Sands Game Reserve
Our anti-poaching canines serve as a critical deterrent against wildlife crime while supporting ranger teams across South Africa’s protected areas.
Conservation Canine Unit: Tracking Dogs That Detect Snares
The EWT is pioneering an innovative snare detection programme using our specialised tracking dogs. This breakthrough approach requires canines with dual capabilities – combining traditional tracking skills with precise snare detection.
Proving the Concept
Thanks to generous funding from Taronga Zoological Society (Sydney, Australia), our Conservation Canine Unit conducted extensive field tests in Limpopo’s farming and conservation areas. We selected two of our elite tracking dogs to determine if they could:
- Detect hidden snares while tracking
- Locate other poaching equipment
- Follow poachers’ scent trails
Outstanding Field Results
During trials:
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All test snares were successfully located and removed
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Dogs reliably tracked poachers’ scent trails to snare sites
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Ruger, one of our star detection dogs, proved the concept in real-world conditions by finding an active poacher’s snare during a routine farm patrol
This successful pilot project demonstrates how our Conservation Canine Unit can:
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Enhance anti-poaching efforts with multi-skilled dogs
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Protect wildlife more effectively in vulnerable areas
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Expand conservation strategies through innovative K9 applications
The Future of Snare Detection
The EWT continues to develop this groundbreaking technique, combining traditional tracking with modern detection methods to combat wildlife poaching more effectively across South Africa.
Conservation Canine Unit: Detection Dogs
The EWT’s anti-poaching canines perform triple-threat detection:
- Tracking poachers
- Locating illegal contraband
- Finding spent cartridges at crime scenes
Meanwhile, our wildlife detection dogs boast even broader capabilities:
- Identifying endangered plant species
- Detecting rare animal samples
- Sniffing out illegally traded wildlife parts
Why This Matters for South Africa
Wildlife crime doesn’t just threaten individual species – it devastates entire ecosystems. As a biodiversity hotspot, South Africa faces disproportionate targeting from:
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Rhino horn poachers
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Illegal plant collectors
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Wildlife trafficking networks
Our Conservation Canine Unit provides a critical defence, combining traditional anti-poaching work with cutting-edge detection capabilities to protect the region’s irreplaceable natural heritage.
Novel Projects:
Working to end succulent smuggling
The Crisis in the Succulent Karoo
South Africa’s Succulent Karoo – the world’s most biodiverse succulent hotspot – faces unprecedented threats from international poaching networks. Rare, endemic plants are being illegally harvested at alarming rates to supply collectors in Asia and Europe, putting entire species at risk of extinction.
The EWT’s Innovative Solution
While detection dogs have been used for plant research abroad, our Conservation Canine Unit has pioneered a groundbreaking approach in South Africa:
- Three specially trained scent detection dogs
- Capable of identifying individual succulent species
- Detecting numerous illegally harvested plants
- Supporting the National Response Strategy against plant trafficking
Operational Successes
Our K9 teams have been deployed across Northern and Western Cape provinces to:
- Screen vehicles at roadblocks
- Scan parcels at courier depots
- Work alongside law enforcement agencies
Proven Results
In late 2023, our canine units achieved:
- Successful identification of trafficked plants
- Multiple suspect arrests by police
- First-ever successful screening interventions
Ongoing Commitment
We continue to:
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Disrupt smuggling networks
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Protect threatened plant species
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Strengthen enforcement capabilities
This initiative represents a vital frontline defence for South Africa’s unique succulent biodiversity, combining cutting-edge canine detection with strategic law enforcement partnerships.
The Endangered Tortoises of the Drylands
South Africa’s Precious Tortoise Species
South Africa hosts 13 unique tortoise species, most found nowhere else on Earth. These remarkable reptiles face multiple threats:
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Habitat destruction
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Climate change impacts
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Illegal wildlife trade
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Localised dangers like wildfires and unsafe fencing
The EWT’s Innovative Conservation Approach
To protect our most endangered tortoises – the tiny Karoo Dwarf Tortoise and Speckled Dwarf Tortoise (the world’s smallest tortoise species at just 10cm) – we’ve deployed a special team member:
Meet Delta: The Tortoise Detection Expert
This highly trained Border Collie from our Conservation Canine Unit can:
- Detect specific tortoise species by scent
- Locate these elusive creatures in challenging terrain
- Assist surveys in the Western and Northern Cape
Why We Need Canine Help
With concerning population declines making these tortoises harder to find:
- Traditional survey methods often fail
- Dogs provide more accurate population data
- Enables targeted protection measures
Expanding to Other Critically Endangered Species
We’ve now extended our canine programme to help the:
- Geometric Tortoise (Critically Endangered)
- Other threatened species in dense fynbos vegetation
The Conservation Impact
Our detection dogs enable:
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Better population monitoring
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More effective threat assessment
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Targeted conservation interventions
This innovative approach combines cutting-edge canine detection with traditional conservation science to safeguard South Africa’s unique tortoise heritage.
Critically Endangered Roses Mountain Toadlet
A Species on the Brink
The Rose’s Mountain Toadlet (Capensibufo rosei) survives in just a few isolated locations near Cape Town, Western Cape. Recent monitoring by our Threatened Amphibian Programme reveals alarming findings:
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Significant population declines
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Disappearance from historical sites
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Extreme difficulty detecting these silent, tiny amphibians
Why This Toadlet is So Vulnerable
Unlike most toads, this Critically Endangered species:
- Measures just a few centimetres
- Lacks a distinctive mating call
- Requires specialised detection methods
Our 2025 Conservation Breakthrough
Next year, our Canine Conservation Unit will deploy specially trained detection dogs to:
- Monitor key breeding pools
- Accurately locate these elusive toadlets
- Collect vital population data
Collaborative Conservation Action
The intelligence gathered will be shared with our partners:
This collaboration enables:
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Targeted research initiatives
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Enhanced monitoring programmes
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Immediate protection measures for critical habitats
A Hopeful Future for Western Cape’s Rarest Amphibian
By combining innovative canine detection with scientific expertise, we’re developing a lifeline for this unique species before it’s too late.
Stories of Success
Sniffing out succulents
International demand for rare ornamental plants has exploded in recent years, with South Africa’s Succulent Karoo Biome – spanning from southern Namibia through the Northern and Western Cape – becoming a prime target. This biodiversity hotspot contains countless species coveted by overseas collectors, driving an unprecedented wave of plant poaching.
Shocking Scale of the Crisis
By June 2023, authorities had seized:
- 1 million+ illegally harvested plants in South Africa
- Equivalent to 3,000-6,000 plants stolen weekly
- Majority poached from Namaqualand (Northern Cape)
The Tip of the Iceberg
While enforcement efforts have achieved some success:
- Experts estimate <25% of illegal trade is intercepted
- Likely >1.5 million plants stolen since 2020
- Many species face potential local extinction
Why This Matters
The succulent poaching crisis:
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Threatens entire ecosystems
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Depletes rare endemic species
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Undermines decades of conservation work
The regular appearance of our dogs is a reminder of the country’s dedication to combating the illegal wildlife trade and disrupts traffickers’ plans, playing an important role in the fight against transboundary wildlife trafficking
Strategy
1. PILOT NOVEL DETECTION MECHANISMS
GOALS/THREAT REDUCTION OBJECTIVES FOR THIS PROJECT:
- Develop novel detection capabilities for at least three species of fauna or flora.
- To have completed four, fully funded, operations with partners in at least two geographic areas to test novel applications.
- Develop demonstrated expertise in the safe detection of poison using detection dogs on at least one project
PROJECT STRATEGIES:
- Train and pilot tracking detection dogs to combat snaring on private land and/or with strategic partners.
- Train and pilot scent detection dogs that have demonstrated success in the detection of traded succulents.
- Develop poison detection capability in the CCU.
2. IMPLEMENTING CONSERVATION CANINE SOLUTIONS
GOALS/THREAT REDUCTION OBJECTIVES FOR THIS PROJECT:
- To have implemented at least five targeted interventions.
- To provide support (training, certification, in field support) to at least eight conservation partners.
- Establish a platform for knowledge transfer, the establishment of training standards, training methods and detection methods to bring together industry partners and other stakeholders.
PROJECT STRATEGIES:
- Deploy tracking dogs in the greater Soutpansberg area to detect snares and combat poaching.
- Expand and replicate succulent plant detection as a means to combat illegal trade.
- Assist with strategic species research using detection or tracking dogs.
- Identify and constrain trade gateways using conservation canines in conjunction with law
enforcement officials. - Develop and formalise accredited and non-accredited training approaches to be marketed to conservation partners and other stakeholders.
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