A dedicated Indonesian dog unit, that uses specially trained dogs to locate smuggled endangered animals and animal parts, is being helped by a dog trainer from Pembrokeshire.

Stuart Phillips from BWY Canine returned from working with customs K9 units to tackle border crime from Russia and Belarus last month, to fly out to Indonesia this month.

Stuart is has worked with this particular specialist unit in Lampung Province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra before.

In 2019 he helped train the dogs to sniff out tiger skin and bone, pangolin scales, ivory and rare birds in an attempt to stamp out the trade in illegal wildlife.

The Wildlife K9 Unit works as part of a task force with Police, Customs and Quarantine Officers with the sole aim of combating poaching and wildlife trafficking activities at ports and airports.

Detection dogs play a huge role in preventing pangolin meat and scales from being illegally smuggled.

Milford Mercury: The pangolin is nearing extinction as its meat and scales are used in Chinese medicine. Picture: Getty Images/iStockphotoThe pangolin is nearing extinction as its meat and scales are used in Chinese medicine. Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The pangolin is thought to be the world's most traded mammal for its scales and its meat, used in traditional Chinese medicine in China and Vietnam. The illegal trade in pangolins believed to have reduced the global population by up to 80 per cent over the last twenty years, pushing the Sunda pangolin and the seven other pangolin species to extinction.

Rare Sumatran tigers are also killed for their skin and bones and there are less than 100 Sumatran rhinos left in the world.

Milford Mercury: The rare Sumatran tiger is critically endangered. Picture: Getty Images/iStockphotoThe rare Sumatran tiger is critically endangered. Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Stuart has been called back to Indonesia to ensure that the specialist dogs and their handlers are performing to the best of their ability.

Stuart, who is a multi-award-winning dog trainer, is the owner of Pembrokeshire based BWY Canine Ltd and his dog training knowledge and expertise is in demand all over the world.

Stuart started his K9 career with the Ministry of Defence and has experience working with UK Border Force in France. He was an explosive search dog handler at the London 2012 Olympics.

More recently Stuart trained cocker spaniel Rocco, the only dog of his kind in the world, who works with a Scottish whisky company to identify faults with wooden whisky casks.