Climb for K9: The expedition continues

Published May 29, 2017

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The three men who began an expedition through the Drakensberg spanning 230km last week are making steady progress.

The Climb for K9 expedition, said organisers SANParks Honorary Rangers KwaZulu-Natal Region in a statement on Monday, launched on Thursday (May 25) from Witsieshoek, Free State and was begun to to raise awareness for conservation.

“15 SANParks honorary rangers, friends and family sent off the climbers, and they set course for Mont Aux Sources. They are now on their own – and we will not see them till the first and only re-supply at the top of Sani Pass in Lesotho on June 4. However, the expedition is sending video and photos on their progress which will be posted on our twitter and Instagram pages.”

The team – which consists of KwaZulu-Natal men Grant Melville, Ian Shooter and Jeffery Mthabela – had a pre-launch at the SANParks K9 Centre in Kruger National Park, where they were treated to a demonstration of the tracking, detection and attacking skills of the K9s which had earned them the name of “game changer” in the park where they have been involved in a large portion of the anti-poaching arrests last year.

The Mercury reported recently that they were taking on the challenge to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the Drakensberg and the wildlife in the national parks of South Africa.

All proceeds from the expedition will be donated through the SANParks Honorary Rangers to the Kruger National Park Canine (K9) Counter-poaching Units managed from the SANPark K9 Centre near Phabeni Gate.

The Mercury

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