New Project: Almo Nature Supports IFAW in the Protection of Detection Dogs in Benin
The illegal wildlife trade is a horrendous trade that makes money from animal cruelty and helps push numerous wildlife species to the brink of extinction. The use of working dogs has increased significantly in Southern and Eastern parts of Africa due to their prowess, powerful sense of smell and detection abilities.
However, these detection dogs are not always properly cared for—they do not receive adequate training or proper care. As IFAW states: “The use of dogs is carried out with little transparency in terms of methods, success and outcomes for dogs. There are indications that dogs are being mistreated and/or their welfare is not uniformly cared for as demand for them increases. Commercialisation of conservation dogs is a threat to dog welfare and ultimately to the success of the law enforcement programs.”Since the dogs are an integral part of law enforcement programs, IFAW decided to develop a training program for the canine units in Cotonou, Benin. It is designed to extend the security mission of the canine brigade in the fight against wildlife crime and strengthen its technical and operational capacity. The program is specifically designed to help dogs detect animal parts like ivory and pangolin scales, and, at the same time, trains dog handlers, who might not have had any experience working with canine units.
Almo Nature and Fondazione Capellino wanted to support this initiative by providing free dog food to the canine units. IFAW's initiative has a wide scope and a holistic approach as it touches upon animal welfare and conservation, as well as environmental concerns. Not only will IFAW’s project help address wildlife crime by disrupting trafficking chains and building enforcement capacity, it will also improve the quality of life for canine units by increasing welfare standards for the dogs and providing best practices for their handlers.
We are proud to be able to support this important initiative for animals and biodiversity as it showcases what we are all about!
When you look closely enough, everything is linked: buying food for your companion animal actually helps wildlife in Africa. Cool, right? Almo Nature's founder made the radical decision to dedicate all of Almo Nature's profits to developing and supporting projects that protect cats, dogs and biodiversity. In this specific case, we have been given the opportunity to support dogs who are tasked with the protection of other animals. And this is only possible when you choose Almo Nature!
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