The man in the tree is surrounded by baying hounds. They’re circling him and barking intensely, making it clear that he’s not to descend. But with a short command from Precious Malapane (24), K9 handler at the Southern African Wildlife College, the dogs back off. Full of energy, they mill around, wagging their tails furiously, proud of a job well done. His role as a human decoy complete, the man in the tree, Simon Mnisi, who also works for the College, clambers down and joins in the praise with Precious; “good dogs, well done, good job…”
Precious can’t hide her grin; this morning’s tracking exercise, which saw Simon lay down a trail through the bush for the dogs to follow before they cornered him in a Knobthorn tree, is fairly typical of her day-to-day work with these multi-award winning free-tracking hounds from Texas. Since arriving in South Africa in July 2018, they have outperformed anything else in operation in the Kruger National Park when it comes to apprehending poachers. In fact, the statistics show that they have helped law enforcement officials in the Greater Kruger area increase their success rates from 3% without a canine capability to over sixty percent with free-tracking hounds.
Unlike on-leash dogs, the free-running hounds – black-and-tans, blue ticks and red ticks – can track through the bush at speeds of up to 40 kilometres an hour. Fitted with GPS collars, they are flown in by helicopter or driven to the site of an incursion by suspected poachers. They don’t operate in isolation though. On-leash dogs are used to pick up the tracks and then once on the scent, the free-tracking dogs run freely through the veld, following a scent no human can detect. They are trained to run over rough terrain until they catch up with the suspects who they then keep at bay until rangers arrive to make the arrest.
“I am so proud to be part of this,” says Precious, who comes from Welverdiend Village close to the Kruger’s boundary. Her work for the College has been life-changing, an opportunity that quite literally set her on a new trajectory, helping her find passion and purpose. “Yes, I need money to live. But ever since I got this job it’s not about money. It’s about passion for nature and passion for dogs. It’s a calling.”
Her opportunity came thanks to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust (managed by Nedbank Private Wealth), a long term supporter of the College and its students. She was enrolled in the College’s Youth Access: Conservation and Environmental Education Bridging Course, which lead to an internship and now, a fixed term contract in the K9 Unit. The Trust has, with other funders, continued to support learners such as Precious on the bridging programme, which they have funded since its inception as a pilot programme in 2010. To date 240 school leavers have been trained on this programme most of whom have gone on to find employment or who have now, with the necessary credits, been able to further their studies. Given the importance of the K9 unit in protecting threatened species such as rhino, the Trust recently made a contribution to the K9 unit’s running expenses and provided funding towards the water upgrade needed.
“My family was poor and I lost both of my parents at the age of 16. I’d go to people’s houses to ask if I could wash their windows so I could buy food to survive at home. As a young girl I had to grow up making my own mistakes, which I have hopefully now learnt from.. I ended up having two kids very young, but the College managed to save my life from there,” she says.“I knew from the first week that this was my chance, or else I’d end up like other girls in my situation, on the street or drinking in the shebeens with no hope for the future. Without the bursary from the Hans Hoheisen Charitable TrustI wouldn’t have been able to dream of this. I didn’t even have a R100 to my name,” she recalls.
Now, instead of navigating village life and living hand to mouth, she spends her days deep in the bush, working with dogs, rangers and researchers. Here she encounters any number of wild animals and helps to protect threatened species like rhinos. “I chose to follow the right path, to be the shield between the animals and the poachers. I thought it was the right thing to do then and I still think it’s the right thing to do today,” she says.
While Precious didn’t know she’d end up working with dogs when she first joined the College, she’s always loved them. “When I was growing up and my mom was still alive, we had many dogs at our home. She loved them too. When we were cooking at home we’d cook in a big pot and then we’d share with the dogs when it was ready to be eaten. That’s how I knew dogs and grew to love dogs,” she says. “Often, when I am with the dogs I think of my mom, and I feel like she’s still around.”
Back at the kennels, Precious helps unload the hounds from their trailer, and make sure they’re safely back in their kennels. There are about 50 dogs at the College at present. In addition to the hounds, there are other breeds such as Belgian Malinois, Bloodhounds and Beagles. Some dogs do detection work, others are online trackers. All are specially trained by Dogmaster Johan Van Straaten and his team, testing approaches in the field that can be applied in protected areas throughout Africa. “I work with Paige, the Beagle, but I also love the hounds, they are so strong and beautiful,” she says. “I have my own dog at home too, Mellie…”
Although she loves dogs, Precious didn’t know what they were capable of until Johan began to open her eyes. “It doesn’t matter where the dog is from – Texas or the village – they have something in common, which is their nose. When properly trained dogs don’t fear anything. Once you introduce them to a scent they are able to lock into it. They just focus on the job at hand,” she says.
Since joining the unit, Precious been exposed to dogs handlers like Texan Joe Braman, who donated to dogs to the College in July 2018, and conservationists like Ivan Carter, who have helped raise funds to support the dogs and who runs projects in protected areas throughout Africa. Not only has this exposure expanded her horizons, it’s also pushed her boundaries and shown Precious what she’s capable of.
She’s also had to get used to close encounters with elephants, lions and other free-roaming game. “I had never even been into Kruger before the Bridging Course, so it’s been a steep learning curve!” she says, recalling her first trip to Kruger as a student of the College. “We saw an elephant close to Masorini, drinking and spraying water. It was so cool.” Since then though, she’s been charged twice while out on foot on the College campus, which is part of the Greater Kruger. “I am over the fright now! Johan is great about exposing us to everything whilst also putting safety measures in place. I work on training the dogs, but when there are opportunities to learn about other aspects of counter poaching we jump at it. We work as a team so it’s important that we can all help where.”
Determined that her daughters (2 and 3) will have a very different upbringing to hers, Precious is already teaching them about her work and her environment. “They are going to grow up knowing there are elephants out there. They already know the basics – elephants are grey and huge – like the biggest trees. Mommy helps protect them. They do listen and learn and I know they are going to be leaders one day,” says Precious.
Juggling kids and a career in counter-poaching is never easy, let alone for a single mom, but Precious shrugs this off. “From the beginning, I said whatever comes my way, I am going to do it with no complaint, no question. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, it’s all about the person you are.” Having role models like the College CEO Theresa Sowry has also helped. “She’s an example to me. She’s taught me it’s always worth facing your fears and working with integrity. That’s what leads to success.”
As one of only five handlers who work with these dogs, Precious is a natural. She feels at home with the dogs and in nature. “First thing in the morning, I can’t wait to get to the kennels, I love taking care of the dogs and keeping them mentally alert and physically fit. With every training exercise, you some sort of progress,” she says.
A constant danger is the threat of intimidation by syndicates and gangs. “I haven’t faced any challenges from people trying to pressure or influence me yet. I am not saying I’m not going to. Every time your face is out there, people notice you, so its important that you know how to handle yourself in these situations. I also know that I have the necessary back up and support. ”
The work is dangerous, but “we’re not going to stop trying to get the bad guys because we’re afraid they’re going to shoot at us! It’s risky yes, but we’re willing to take that risk, because otherwise, those rhinos, we’re going to lose them all! I will never forget my first operation in the field, where the Black and Tans had two poachers surrounded. We were hovering above in the helicopter. I could see how the dogs run and work, and then I saw two poachers surrendering. I got goosebumps – thanks to our dogs we got the guys, and saved a rhino .”
