Dogs with jobs: The incredible ways dogs help people and wildlife

Did you know some dogs are pros at countering wildlife crime? Their tracking skills can be harnessed to detect trafficked animals or animal parts.

In the Americas, for example, where jaguars are increasingly threatened by poaching due to demand for their fangs, bones, and other body parts for traditional medicines and jewelry, dogs have been put on the case. As part of IFAW's  Operation Jaguar project to combat illegal trade in jaguars, two detection dogs-Bruce and Boris-were trained to use their superb sense of smell to help track down jaguar parts in boxes, packages, cars, and containers and ultimately disrupt wildlife trafficking. 

In Zimbabwe, two puppies named Themba and Wana are the newest recruits to the K9 unit for our partners at ZimParks, an agency that works hard at protecting the country's wildlife. The dogs will be tasked with tracking potential poachers in Zimbabwe's largest nature reserve, Hwange National Park, but only once their training-which involves being rewarded with a ball when they find the right scent-is complete.