Chicago Canines Being Trained to Scout Out Illegal Animal Products

The Chicago Zoological Society and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement have teamed up to train a new kind of service dog: one that sniffs out illegal products made with rhino horns.

As of September 22 — World Rhino Day — the Zoological Society, which manages the Brookfield Zoo as well as several others in the area, donated a small piece of a rhino horn that’s being used to train one of their dogs.

Products made with rhino horns are often smuggled illegally in and out of the United States, according to a release from the Zoological Society. By training this canine-and-human team to detect those products, it will be possible to eliminate more of that unlawful and harmful activity.

“Partnering with USFWS on this project is helping us fulfill our mission as well as informing our guests about the plight of these magnificent creatures in the wild and how the import and export of their horns is affecting the wild population,” Amy Roberts, curator of mammals for the Society, said.

The rhino horn being used for training in Chicago was donated by the Brookfield Zoo, from one of their rhinos. Since the horn is made of keratin — the same as our human fingernails — the material regenerates and constantly grows, eliminating the need to continue mining the product from the animal for training purposes.

Amanda Dickson is a wildlife inspector and canine handler, and teams up with dog Lancer to detect items made from rhino horns.

“It has been great to collaborate with the Chicago Zoological Society,” she said. “This will allow us to be able to have enough rhino horn for training purposes, and hopefully will make a difference in the illegal trade of this and other items.”

There are several teams like Dickson and Lancer across the country; units also operate in Los Angeles, Anchorage, Miami, Houston and Puerto Rico.

Dickson said the canines involved are usually labradors adopted from shelters or pounds, and that the search is more like a game for them than a job. On an average day, according to a Society release, Dickson and Lancer find illegal rhino horn items during their shift at O’Hare International Airport.

When items are found and confiscated by USFWS, they are either donated to museums, schools or nature centers for educational purposes, are sent to the USFWS repository or are destroyed.