A canine unit will soon be deployed at Maputo International Airport, to help with combating the smuggling of illegal wildlife products such as rhino horns and ivory.
The unit, which is expected to be operational by September, will consist of dog trainers, housing facilities and six kennels, reports local newspaper, Domingo.
The first phase of the canine unit will see four trained dogs, a Belgian Shepherd Malinois, a German Shepherd, a Dutch Shepherd and a Cocker Spaniel, as well as four handlers and an instructor, all of whom have undergone two and a half months’ training in Tanzania.
During the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) earlier this year, Mozambique’s Minister of Land, Environment and Rural Development, Celso Correia, said: “We have strengthened control of the main border points, and very soon we will introduce trained canine units for the detection of wildlife products,” reports Xinhua News.
