Dog tales from Kuru

The year is off to a cracking start, and though we’ve only got as far as March, Kuru has clocked up so much good news that I just had to share it.

Our 501(c)(3) is here

After a long wait, our 501(c)(3) registration is finally official.

This is a big moment for Kuru - now we can accept tax-deductible donations directly in the U.S.

It’s taken time and effort to get here, and we’re excited to put this to good use. If you’d like to contribute, hit the button below - we would be so very grateful.

Our return to the Ranch

Charles Foley, in his ‘Mammals of Tanzania’ book, wrote about Manyara Ranch’s incredible wealth of flora and fauna. If you were to walk 100 miles in a straight line from Tarangire to the Serengeti - which would take you right across the Ranch - you would transect as much biodiversity as you would in the Amazon.

It is such a special place, and to my mind, anywhere wild and beautiful deserves to be protected - but the fact that it is such a biodiversity hotspot makes its conservation all the more important.

Our dog teams have had a huge impact here, bringing ivory poaching to an almost complete stop.

Tragically, toward the end of last year, political challenges meant the dogs returned to Kuru - and almost immediately, poaching began again.

Seeing this, the government asked to bring them back. We’re incredibly proud to say that together, Kuru and Honeyguide have made it happen. A few weeks ago, we loaded up a car with a vet kit, dog food, equipment, and two of our finest dogs - and they’re out there doing what they do best, stopping wildlife crime in its tracks.

Handlers in training

Last year, we were approached by an NGO looking to establish dog teams to combat poaching and trafficking in Mozambique’s key conservation areas. From my years working with de-mining dogs, I knew some great Mozambican handlers, one of whom I trained 25 years ago and has been working with detection dogs ever since. I got in touch with them, and we tracked down the right people for the job.

Now, we’re back working side by side, bringing decades of combined experience to training the next generation.

Rangers from Mozambique’s Administração Nacional das Áreas de Conservação are now learning to be detection dog handlers, focused on finding illegal wildlife products.

We’re also training more handlers for Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA), with whom we have a long-standing relationship. These rangers will be working in Dar es Salaam and Northern Tanzania.

It’s a special thing to see two groups - handlers from different parts of Africa - working together, learning the Kuru way. Some moments are challenging, but the end result is always worth it: experienced handlers guiding the new guys, old faces welcoming new family members, all united by a shared mission.

And that’s really what Kuru is about - taking everything we’ve learned over the years and putting it to work for conservation.

Big Life partnership

Big Life Foundation’s approach to conservation has long inspired the Kuru approach, and it is an honour to be partnering with them.

Their work includes protecting the wildlife and habitats in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem, and they want to use dog teams to help their efforts.

We are in the process of training dogs and handlers that will be deployed in these areas, and we can’t wait to see the impact they will have.

A canine conference

The African Canines in Conservation Conference is coming up this month, and they’ve kindly invited me to be one of their keynote speakers. I’m very much looking forward to being in the company of so many fellow dog enthusiasts - always a great space to share knowledge and learn.