Jacaranda FM’s Rhino tracking dog arrives in Pilanesberg

After over a year of intense training and hard work, Jacaranda’s tracker dog, Russell a Belgian Mallanoir has arrived in the Pilanesberg. Russell completed his training in the Kruger National Park last week where he was acclimatized to the bush, learnt to fly in a helicopter and sharpened his skills in the bush, Russell is fully trained in  weapon detection, horn detection, tracking and hot scene intervention which took place at the Mechem Dog Training Centre in Pretoria. Russell has spent the last 8 weeks with his field ranger handler so that the two bonded and are able to work as a unit to fight rhino poaching.

Russell now becomes a full time member of the in the Pilanesberg, where he will work to help protect rhino and stop poachers in their tracks. Funds for Russell were raised by Jacaranda FM’s rhino protection project that aims to train and deploy ten tracker dogs in rhino reserves by the end of 2012, in partnership with StopRhinoPoaching.com.