Meet Zeus, the remarkable Belgian Malinois leading the charge against coastal poaching in Gqeberha

In little over a year, a dedicated anti-poaching operative has recovered 100 bags of illegally harvested perlemoen along the Nelson Mandela Bay coastline.

Working with his team from Dark Water Ops, a private security firm with a dedicated anti-poaching unit, he often leads the charge — the tip of the spear when his team scours Gqeberha beaches for poachers and illegal perlemoen hidden among the rocks and bushes.

What drives his unwavering dedication to his craft?

His ball, of course.

Because this talented operative is Zeus, a four-year-old Belgian Malinois trained specifically to track and recover poachers and their loot. Tracking is his favourite game, and when he wins he gets to play with his favourite toy.

Last month, during routine patrols near The Willows holiday resort, Zeus sniffed out two bags hidden among some remote bushes. The bags contained about 300 units of illegally harvested perlemoen, hidden there by poachers to retrieve later when the coast was clear.

Tip-offs

“When we respond to tip-offs of poachers in the water and we arrive on scene, we can see them throw their hands up in frustration when they see Zeus and his handler. They already know that the perlemoen is as good as gone,” said Dark Water Ops operations director Nicky Erasmus.

He said alleged poachers, who were normally argumentative and aggressive towards their operatives, changed their entire demeanour when Zeus arrived at a scene. 

Besides sniffing out hidden perlemoen, he has also assisted in numerous arrests, and has apparently garnered a fearful reputation among those involved in the illegal trade.

Johan Zurnamer, lead dog handler for Dark Water Ops, started his professional career as a field guide on game farms due to his love of nature and animals.

“I realised that I could do more to protect animals by getting involved in anti-poaching operations, and after completing my security training I joined Dark Water Ops’ dedicated anti-poaching units.”

Zurnamer then furthered his studies to become a dog handler and trainer, and Dark Water Ops entrusted him with two Belgian Malinois puppies — Zeus and his sister Xena.

Together they were stationed at a game farm near Fort Beaufort, where the dogs were taught to track the movement of poachers in the bush and veld, assisting security teams to put better security measures in place to prevent unwanted movement on the farm.

When their contract ended, Erasmus brought them back to Gqeberha, where Zurnamer adjusted Zeus’ training to become a dedicated perlemoen dog.

“It was a big adjustment for me and Zeus. We were used to the bush and tracking human movement. In this arena, operations often result in arrests and recovering loot, and he adapted very quickly,” Zurnamer said.

Their biggest find came about a year ago, only a few short months after coming to work in Gqeberha. They were part of a team responding to reports of divers in the water near the Cape Recife protected area.

While no divers were arrested, Zeus managed to track their movements and sniffed out 12 bags of perlemoen, leading to the recovery of hundreds of units of illegal perlemoen.

“We train five days a week, and Zeus is only getting better”

“We train five days a week, and Zeus is only getting better,” Zurnamer said.

When asked what Zeus does during his downtime, his handler said working was his relaxation.

“Zeus is an absolute workhorse and he is at his happiest when we are working. Tracking is like a game to him, and he will play all day for a chance to get his prize, which is his favourite ball.”

Erasmus said their dog unit currently comprised three dogs, and that they planned on growing it extensively in the near future. DM