30 October 2007

Dogs Stop Poachers

Game wardens in Kansas are using the natural hunting abilities in dogs to help catch poachers.

The wardens are training Labrador Retrievers to sniff out evidence against hunters who shoot more than their limit of game birds or illegally kill deer. The dogs complete a 400 hour course before going on the field to find stashed game, such as ducks buried in mud or deer antlers hidden in a vehicle. Dogs in the program are trained to recognize that their shift begins when the wardens buckle the working collars and harnesses on them.

The highly specialized dogs are trained to ignore their instinct to fetch and bark at the find instead, so evidence isn’t damaged. Isn't it amazing what dogs can do?