Tennis ace backs WWF campaign against illegal trade in animals
Scots tennis star Andy Murray is has been announced as the new global ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – and has been honoured with a puppy named after him.
Murray will support the organisation - which is based in his home town of Dunkeld - in its fight against poaching and illegal wildlife trade
helping raise awareness through an initiative in Nepal that trains dogs to track down poaching activity within Chitwan National Park.
Well known for his love of dogs, Murray will be raising vital funds throughout his tennis tour next year to support the work in Nepal.
Nepal is home to species such as tigers, rhino and elephant - all of which are under threat due to poaching for the illegal trade in animal parts.
As Nepal has long been a key transit route for these products, the programme aims to prevent poachers smuggling animal parts out of the park.
The sniffer dog training is a unique new plan that will work alongside WWF's current wildlife trade programme in the country.
In honour of his support a new puppy who will be part of the elite training team will be named Murray (right).
The current world tennis number eight said: "I've followed WWF's work on the illegal wildlife trade for a while now and been looking for a way to support the campaign.
“I think it's incredibly important that this trade is prevented and the sniffer dog programme seemed like the perfect venture for me to get behind.
“I know from my own dogs how clever they can be and it's fascinating how these sniffer dogs communicate with their handlers.
“I'm also really looking forward to going to see Murray at work at some point in the near future."
As part of a global programme to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trade WWF also initiates the use of cutting edge technologies, such as managing patrolling using GPS and databases, using unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor, detect and deter poaching - along with the use of sniffer dogs, for the very first time.
Heather Sohl, Chief Species Advisor at WWF-UK, said: "We're delighted that Andy has joined us in our quest to fight the illegal wildlife trade and this programme seems the perfect fit for him.
“We're looking forward to sharing news of Murray's progress with him as well as from the wider team of sniffer dogs in Nepal.
“Illegal wildlife products are often difficult to detect so it is vital if we are to stop the trade for us to continually find new ways of identifying products being transported across the borders.”
As part of a global programme to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trade WWF also initiates the use of cutting edge technologies, such as managing patrolling using GPS and databases, using unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor, detect and deter poaching - along with the use of sniffer dogs, for the very first time.
