Man's Best Friend is a Trafficker's Worst Nightmare

In many cultures, it is said that a dog is a human's best friend. But according to World Wildlife Fund Kenya , dogs are also traffickers' and poachers' worst enemies. Used to sniff out illicit contraband, their sense of smell is 100,000 times better than that of a human. And they are incorruptible.

Sniffer dogs are capable of detecting the tiniest amounts of wildlife contraband, such as ivory tusks or jewellery and even rhino horn powder, even if it is hidden in a 40-foot shipping container. As a result, the AWF is promoting the deployment of detection dogs to combat illegal trade in East Africa, where poaching in national parks and other protected areas is one of the greatest menaces to wildlife preservation.

However, the dogs are only half of the equation. Each dog has a dedicated handler or trainer, whose goal is not just to refine a dog's sniffing skills but also to build relationships with their dogs, reports Melody Chironda for allAfrica.