Scent’s Journey

Scent is an eight-year-old bloodhound-mix specially trained to work as a SANParks anti-poaching K9. Together with her trusted handler, they have been responsible for the successful arrest of numerous potential poachers within South Africa’s National Parks.

Unfortunately, Scent’s critical work came to a sudden halt last year, when she hurt her knee. She had ruptured her cruciate ligament and needed to undergo surgery and receive intensive treatment thereafter in order to have the best chance of recovery.

In need of assistance, K9 Project Watchdog reached out to Elisa Best, from the UK-based charity Blankets for Baby Rhinos. Without hesitation, Eliza agreed to cover the cost of the operation. We are unspeakably grateful for this act of generosity.

“I was privileged enough to meet Scent and her handler a few years ago and am so pleased we were able to help her, given her many years of service. We wanted to set up this fund for more complicated veterinary procedures, given how valuable these dogs are to the antipoaching operation. We are so pleased that she was able to get first class treatment from Bryanston Veterinary Hospital and the rehab team that worked on her and are very grateful for the huge discount they offered for this complicated surgery”.

Bryanston Veterinary Hospital (BVH) came on board to do the operation itself, as well as seeing to the subsequent physiotherapy Scent required. On 30 May 2024, Dr Greg Irvine -Smith and his amazing team successfully performed the operation – but Scent still had a long road ahead to complete her recovery.

Our lucky K9 stayed at BVH and, under the care of  Candice, and her wonderful team of physiotherapists from Ramsay Rehabilitation, Scent underwent intensive physio. As with human patients, this involved daily treatment to get Scent’s ligaments and muscles strong and back in working order. “Veterinary physiotherapy plays a crucial role in enhancing the well-being and recovery of our animal companions. At Ramsay Rehab, we collaborate closely with our referring veterinarians to achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients. By creating rehabilitation programmes for each patient, we can then address musculoskeletal issues, and promote mobility, we aim to improve the quality of life for dogs. Our integrated approach, which usually includes exercises, hydrotherapy, and manual techniques, ensures comprehensive care as a mutli-modal approach to veterinary Care”.

Thank you to the extraordinary BVH team for taking care such wonderful care of this special patient.

She was also spoilt with some extra creature comforts. She was able to recuperate in the same type of bed that she has at home in the Kruger National Park, which was thoughtfully donated by Dawn Glendining from Hound Sleeper. Hill’s supports the SANParks K9 anti-poaching teams throughout the country and kindly supplied Scent with food for the duration of her stay. Thank you to these amazing contributors for all the kindness that you’ve shown.

As a result of these combined efforts, Scent has been well enough to return to her home in the bush, hopefully to resume work towards the end of July. Even though she still has some recovery exercises to do before she’s fit for action, she is so happy to be home – and rearing to get out into the field with her handler to resume her duties: catching poachers and keeping our precious wildlife safe.

The K9 anti-poaching team plays a significant role in the conservation and preservation of South Africa’s wildlife and safety of our visitors in some National Parks. 95% of all arrests in SANParks involve the K9 anti-poaching dogs.

SANParks Honorary Rangers: K9 Project Watchdog extends our heartfelt thanks once more to Bryanston Veterinary Hospital, Ramsay Rehabilitation, Blankets for Baby Rhinos, Hills, and Hound Sleeper for their incredible generosity in ensuring that Scent had the best care imaginable and can look forward to a pain-free future!

K9 Project Watchdog is a national conservation project of the SANParks Honorary Rangers, a group of passionate, unpaid volunteers who give freely of our time and skills to support conservation efforts for SANParks.