There are only two northern white rhino’s left in the world, both of which are female. Although the last male died in March 2018, there is still hope for this sub-species as scientists are working on an elaborate IVF program to bring them back from extinction.
So what can a cute little springer spaniel from Norfolk in the UK do about it?
Well the rhinos are guarded by watchtowers, fences and radio transmitters but poachers are still a threat. So Drum has been specially trained to sniff out guns and ammunition which hunters try to smuggle into the wildlife sanctuary.
He was trained by Daryll Pleasants, founder of the charity Animals Saving Animals and after just ten months of training he was chosen for the job due to his exceptional scent detection skills.
Drum has been deployed to Kenya where he will work with his handler John Mamba, as a member of the elite anti-poaching unit in the Ol Pejeta conservancy. He will be responsible for searching cars that enter the conservancy, checking for hidden weapons and also locating weapons that poachers may have hidden in different areas.
What an amazing dog. Check out this great video of him in action and let us know if you think your dog would be up to the challenge!