Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, Zimpapers Reporter
TWO specialist anti-poaching dogs have arrived at Matusadona National Park, where they are undergoing advanced integration training alongside park rangers.
Named Vega and Kuda, the specialist conservation dogs were transported by Emirates SkyCargo from London to Harare via Dubai in partnership with UK charity Dogs 4 Wildlife.
The Belgian Malinois dogs are part of Matusadona National Park’s first specialist conservation K9 team and have participated in more than 185 hours of practical training with six handlers.
“At Emirates SkyCargo, we believe that the protection of wildlife is a core responsibility and we are delighted to partner with Dogs 4 Wildlife to support their mission to protect endangered ecosystems. Transporting live animals by air requires the highest standards of safety, precision and care and we are proud to leverage Emirates SkyCargo’s world-class handling expertise and infrastructure to transport Vega and Kuda from the UK to Zimbabwe on our flights.
“We are sure that the dogs will make a strong contribution, working on the front lines protecting the wildlife of Matusadona National Park,” said Mr Badr Abbas, Divisional Senior Vice-President, Emirates SkyCargo.
In just over a month, the dogs have completed more than 60 human-scent tracking exercises and have consistently demonstrated their capabilities to track illegal poaching activity.
Mr Abbas said Emirates SkyCargo was committed to protecting wildlife and took a zero-tolerance approach to illegal wildlife trafficking.
The carrier has placed a total ban on the transportation of hunting trophies and has trained its global frontline teams to identify, report and respond to potential wildlife trafficking risks.
