"The fight with poachers is endless. But we must never give up. I am glad that thanks to the support of our supporters we can also support projects like Raspberry for the Elephant in SAFARI PARK," said the director during a small ceremony as a part of the African Days programme.

He symbolically handed over Avatar to Congolese customs officers with the help of the cynologist Hana Böhme, who prepared and trained the dog. "Poaching is still a big problem. We are seeing a shift away from raw ivory and other products to finished products like bracelets and trophies. But the number of cases is increasing," said customs officer Freddy Zeguel Pakel. "The most common items smuggled are pangolins, ivory or the skins of rare antelopes. The support of SAFARI PARK and the people of the country are crucial and we appreciate it very much," added Mbon Waye Doniam, a dog handler who will be working with Avatar. Avatar is scheduled to fly to Africa in autumn 2024.

SAFARI PARK has been supporting the Raspberry for the Elephant project for the last two years. Avatar was first introduced to the public here as a puppy on Children's Day 2023. The main support of SAFARI PARK consists of providing animal’s scent samples, which Avatar will use to imprint the scents he will be later on seeking in Congo.