I do not like heights, my knees get weak and wobbly when I approach a high structure.  But, my K9 companion, Mufassa, keeps me in check.   With my focus firmly on Mufassa we recently walked up the gangway to board a massive coal ship docked at South Africa’s largest coal terminal.  

Mufassa had never been on a gangway, let alone a ship, and here he was taking it all in his stride, oozing the confidence needed for this job. He has set the bar high for his fellow EWT canines given that he is the first of our esteemed team to board a ship, or work as a detector of wildlife contraband in a harbour.

The EWT was on a joint operation with the Border Management Authority (BMA), South African Police Services (SAPS) and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to support an operation to search coal ships and private yachts in Richards Bay harbour.

True to his nature, Mufassa took the lead in boarding the ships we searched, with the SAPS dog following suite. They scanned the bridge and cabin crew’s quarters for any endangered wildlife and related products, totaling over thirty rooms and four private yachts. I don’t think the yachtsmen, all international visitors to South African waters who have been sailing around the world, were expecting to see detection dogs boarding their vessels. Despite the limited space on the yachts and in the confines of the ships, the numerous and narrow stairways, and the amount of people around them, the canines were in their element doing what they do best — sniffing out stuff.