When you hear the word poaching, you might think of elephants in Africa being killed illegally for their tusks. What you may not realize though, is that poaching is also a big problem in the United States. Wildlife officials estimate that for every wild animal killed legally in this country, another is killed illegally.

Enforcing the laws and catching poachers isn't easy. Wildlife enforcement officers have huge territories to patrol. As a result, poachers have found it easy to stay one step ahead of the law.

To help stop poaching in California, the state's Department of Fish and Game operates a tip line. Citizens can call Cal-TIP (California Turn In Poachers program) and leave an anonymous message if they spot suspicious activity. Officers then follow up on the tip. Still, with so much territory to cover, it's difficult to catch the poachers in the act.

A Doggone Good Idea

Meanwhile, smart, healthy dogs sit in animal shelters waiting for a home and a chance to prove themselves. Luckily, the folks at the California Department of Fish and Game put two and two together and came up with a four-legged solution. They created a training program to teach dogs how to sniff out poaching.

The department's trainers regularly visit local animal shelters looking for candidates to become detection K-9s. The dogs are then paired up with enforcement officers for training. The dogs are taught to use their powerful sense of smell to find evidence of poaching. They learn to recognize odors such as bear, deer, and gunpowder. Cal-TIP officers say that one well-trained dog can save up to 800 officer hours per year.

Dollars and Scents

Teaming up shelter dogs with enforcement officers sounds like a great solution, right? Well, yes and no. Even though the human and K-9 officer teams work well together, the state doesn't have the funds to support the program. Officers have been paying the dogs' expenses out of their own pockets.

The Humane Society of the United States knew that Cal-TIP and the K-9 officers were important. Not only does the program protect wildlife, it also gives shelter dogs a new life. To help them out, The HSUS gave Cal-TIP a grant. The money is used to help the officers pay for care, food, and supplies for the K-9 partners. Now the dogs can get to work protecting California's wildlife—and bringing poachers to justice.