The assignment comes after the two-year-old German shepherd and his handler completed a 14-week course at the Canine Training Centre in Kamion, central Poland, run by the National Revenue Administration (KAS), the government agency in charge of taxes and customs.
“During the course, the dog learned the secrets of olfactory search and was taught how to detect species threatened with extinction," Edyta Chabowska, a spokeswoman for the regional KAS division in the southern city of Rzeszów, told state news agency PAP.
She said Kenzo was one of two four-legged officers on the KAS force trained to identify the scents of endangered animals and plants.
Kenzo the sniffer dog. Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
Now a full-fledged member of the KAS customs force in Poland's southeastern Podkarpackie province, the dog is expected to sniff out animals and plants, as well as objects made of them, protected under the global Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Last year, the Polish Podkarpackie squad managed to prevent the smuggling of over 15,000 items of contraband from endangered species, with a total weight of 125 kg, the PAP news agency reported.
With Kenzo on board, prevention statistics are expected to go up this year.
The Podkarpackie team of customs officers is also supported by a contingent of 22 dogs that specialize in detecting drugs, tobacco products and currency on people.
These are nine Labradors, six German shepherds, two Jack Russell terriers, two Belgian Malinois sheepdogs, one Parson Russell terrier, and two English springer spaniels.
(mrs/gs)
Source: PAP