Cape Town - It is the dead of night and the silence is deafening except for the wind and the distant sounds of animals moving through the bush.
It sounds scary to most - and so it should be - but this is nothing unusual for the passionate members of the anti-poaching unit at Aquila Private Game Reserve.
Several of them brave the elements, day and night, to ensure the safety and preservation not only of rhinos but all animals in the reserve.
But one member of the team, who has 20 years of dog-training experience with the police, said that other than the threat of poachers, there was the risk of being attacked by an animal, and also the fear of the unknown.
“Sitting out there, you sometimes hear sounds you have never heard before,” said the patrol-man, who cannot be identified for his safety.
With rifles in hand, along with other high-tech equipment, these wildlife guardians conduct intensive patrols on the reserve with the aim of protecting the endangered rhinos.
They patrol throughout the day as visible patrols were always a deterrent, the unnamed member said. “This work is a calling.”
But the dangers are real and while out in the field, his family is always on his mind.
Any day could be his last he said, but he always tried to remain positive by reminding himself that it could be the day he prevents a poacher from dehorning a rhino or, worse, killing one.
Anybody working as an anti-poacher needed to be alert and constantly on the lookout.
A cigarette butt, a placement of rocks, or even a piece of plastic could indicate that there were poachers in the vicinity. “You need to be suspicious of everything. A broken twig or even spoors,” the anti-poaching unit member said.
“We should all know the same techniques and keep up with the training.”
At Aquila, the unit has also implemented the use of Belgian Malinois dogs to help patrol and track poachers.
It is also in the process of training a number of dogs and puppies to form part of patrols with the existing canines on the team.
The dogs are usually ready to start their work on the reserve once they are more than a year old, as they are then mentally stable.
The animals are highly trained and are very good at taking instructions.
The dogs provide protection for their handlers as well as search for suspects.
As long as there is an entrance point for the dog to start tracking, it can often lead to finding a poacher.
“You always need to be aware of the dog’s behaviour when you are out walking in the reserve,” the anti-poaching member said.
Dogs often heard, saw and smelled things before a human. The animal’s body language was a good gauge as their ears and tails usually indicated if something was wrong. Even the raising of a leg could be a sign of something out of the ordinary. These were things which a handler was able to identify from a dog, as each had its own personality.
“In training, we encourage the handlers to look at their dogs and not to push them where you want to go,” the anti-poacher said.
A dog needed to work on its instinct, and using the animals had proved to be a success in tracking poachers, said Searle Derman, owner of the Aquila reserve.
“Dogs are born to track. Dogs have a great sense and they don’t give up,” Derman said.
Besides the canines, the unit also used expensive assault rifles that cost upwards of R25 000.
This was in addition to armed security training, which could cost another R25 000, and uniforms from R5 000.
Ensuring the safety of the rhinos and other wildlife on the reserve was an expensive exercise, but a necessity.
Night-vision systems could cost between R30 000 to
R50 000, while thermo-vision equipment could set you back over R100 000.
“Their backpack and first-aid kits can easily cost an additional R5 000,” said Derman, who said, appreciating the costs involved, was offering free training to anti-poaching units on other reserves within South Africa, as part of Aquila’s Saving Private Rhino conservation efforts.