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Oscar Muzinda Chronicle Reporter
A BULAWAYO businessman has partnered with an ex-police officer to form Resource Security, a company that trains dogs for anti-poaching purposes.
Keith Sparks of Drummond Ranching and Future Mkandla, a former Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) dog trainer, have been working on this project for the past 15 months.
They have four Belgian shepherd breeds which they are still training.
Sparks said he got involved in anti-poaching dog training because of an increase in cases of poaching in the past several months in the country.
“We want to use the dogs to boost wild life security and help protect animals from poachers as I’m also into wildlife conservation. Our objective is to curb poaching which has become rampant in our national parks” said Sparks.
He said the dogs will also be used in securing private properties and all the funds generated will be channelled towards wildlife conservation.
The four dogs under Resource Security Company’s supervision have been trained to track and attack poaching suspects.
Mkandla is in charge of training the dogs.
He said he is training the animals in many areas which include tracking, attacking and obeying commands given to them.
“The dogs have gone through training to obey commands they’re given, tracking and attacking the suspects. This is of importance because that’s how we’re going to control them in the wild when there are reports of animal poaching,” said Mkandla.
Sparks said his vision is to work together with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority personnel and other government departments such as police to help end poaching.
Last year poachers killed more than 60 elephants through suspected cyanide poisoning.
ZimParks seized 380 pounds of ivory worth $43,250 that was about to be smuggled to Singapore.
Other attacks on wildlife included the killing of Cecil the Lion by American dentist, Walter Palmer, which was also described by conservationists as poaching of the highest calibre.