When it comes to protecting Africa’s wildlife, few teams are as effective—or as courageous—as K9 pack hounds. These highly trained tracking hounds are game changers in the fight against poaching, boasting an 85% success rate in tracking and apprehension, compared to just 3% with single-dog, 'on-line' units.
This groundbreaking approach was pioneered by Richard Sowry at the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC). These dogs operate almost exclusively in the Greater Kruger region, where their impact has been nothing short of extraordinary. Robynne Oosthuizen trained and worked with the SAWC for years, and has now started Luna Hounds.
Robynne Oosthuizen has dedicated her life to serving on the frontlines of the war against our wildlife, which has led to learning the incredible tool of how to use animals to protect animals and nature. Born inside the heart of a South African woman, the name Luna Hounds comes from many nights spent under billions of stars in the wilds of Africa with only the beautiful orchestra of pack hounds howling and singing to the moon.
Through a better understanding of their K9s instincts and genetics, Luna Hounds has been successful in training K9s for many different professions and personal lives. The team has done so in a much shorter, kinder, and more impactful way than what everyone believes to be "dog training". They work with the K9s drives; hunting, prey, search, tracking, and pack drives which allows the dogs to find their work always rewarding and enjoyable.
From helicopter deployments to ground follow-ups, these dogs are trained for every anti-poaching scenario - working side-by-side with rangers and pilots to ensure their safety and maximize their effectiveness in the field.
The difference between deploying a pack of free-tracking Blue Tick Coonhounds and a single, on-line tracking K9, lies in the power of the pack. Each dog has a unique skill—some specialize in speed and pursuit, others in scent tracking or intimidation—allowing them to work together as a team with precision and efficiency. This coordinated effort overwhelms poachers’ escape tactics and vastly improves outcomes during operations (85% success rate in tracking and apprehension).
Once a suspected poacher or poaching incident is detected (either through ground or areal patrols, or using AI & drone technology), the pack hounds are deployed, 'off-line' - meaning off-leash - at the start of the track (or 'spoor' in Afrikaans). The hounds then work together to track the 'spoor' of the poachers, using their extraordinary sense of smell and prey drives. Being 'off-line' means that they can move freer and faster than on-line single tracking dogs, who have to move at the pace of the handler.
The rangers are able to watch the dogs from a high point, and a helicopter will follow the pack from the air. Once the pack gets close to the suspected poachers, they will start baying and howling - indicating that apprehension is close. It also scares the poachers into hiding - facilitating apprehension by armed anti-poaching rangers while the helicopter suppresses the targets. When finding suspects, the hounds are trained to stay with them until a ranger team is dropped by helicopter. With their human leader, dogs are picked up by helicopter, dropped to find suspects and brought back to the unit again. While one helicopter follows the dogs with the aim of getting the poachers, another would focus only on their safety, for example to chase away predators that may pose a danger.
Supporting these K9 Pack Hounds means directly funding one of the most innovative, proven, and effective anti-poaching tools in existence. Every hour of training, every flight, and every track saves lives - of both wildlife and the rangers (human and K9) who protect them.
If you are interested in helping us fund this groundbreaking anti-poaching team - get in touch or donate towards our Frontier Projects and reference 'Luna Hounds' with your donation.
Written by Evelyn Poole
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