The Greater Kruger National Park is home to some of the last of the world’s rhinos. The bushveld is a tough place, a battleground in the war against rhino poaching. Here, we are fighting a war against animal poachers, using another kind of animal, the dogs of the Southern African Wildlife College Anti Rhino Poaching K9 Unit. Nourished with ORIJEN, the dogs are fuelled by nature, to protect nature.
INNOVATION
Looking to nature for inspiration, ORIJEN’s partnership with SAWC unleashes the potential to protect nature in greater and bigger ways than ever before. The ground-breaking success story is stopping rhino poachers in their tracks. The first operation of its kind, the K9 Unit deploy un-leashed dogs to track and capture poachers.
CONSERVATION
South Africa has the largest population of rhino in the world but since 2013, the population has declined by more than 51%. There are now only 2,607 white rhinos and 202 black rhino remaining in the Kruger National Park.
In 2017, the SAWC Anti Rhino Poaching K9 Unit was started to help protect the endangered species. The unit developed capabilities in dog tracking to capture poachers and more recently, free-running packs to combat wildlife crime over greater areas.
Both on-lead and off-lead dogs serve their purpose. Statistics show that poacher apprehension grows from under 10% to over 60% when a dog and Ranger team is at play. Following its successes, the unit also trains other dogs and park rangers beyond our borders.
NUTRITION
The best way to protect nature is to harness it. It’s how ORIJEN was created, Nourishing as Nature Intended. By mirroring the diets that dogs have evolved to eat, our Biologically Appropriate nutrition has unmatched amounts of WholePrey meat.
Since replacing the K9s high-carbohydrate diet, ORIJEN has helped them go the distance, providing these high performing canine athletes with protein-rich food containing at least 85% quality animal ingredients.
As the nutritional supporter of the Unit, we help the dogs unlock their biological potential to perform at their peak.
By supporting ORIJEN, you’re supporting the Anti Rhino Poaching K9 Unit.
NEWS
Read more about SAWC and the pack who are protecting our rhinos.