Come and meet bloodhounds Howard and Sapphie on the Real Africa stand at this year's Telegraph Travel Show at London ExCel 13 -15 January 2017.  Find out how and why dogs are fast becoming the new best friends of Africa's rhinos and elephants. Expert anti-poaching dog trainer Darryl Pleasants from charity animalssavinganimals.org will be on hand during the Friday and Saturday of the show to explain how dogs like Howard and Sapphie can help in the battle against elephant and rhino poaching and he will also be showing snares and other equipment seized from poachers by the dog squads in Africa. The team from Real Africa will also be joined by Josephine Gibson from Save the Rhino International. 

As part of Real Africa's commitment to wildlife conservation, the sub-Saharan safari specialist works in partnership with leading conservation charities to raise awareness about key conservation issues and also to raise vital funds for wildlife conservation. This year Real Africa is working with Save the Rhino International who work to conserve all five species of rhino. 50% of all money raised will go to Save the Rhino's core fund and be directed to where it is most needed with the other 50% will go specifically to the anti-poaching dog squads working in Africa.

As well as arranging special events and appearing at travel shows, Real Africa also on behalf of all clients travelling with them donate, through their UK registered charity, the Real Africa Trust,  a percentage of each booking to their nominated charities. They also promote 'Shopping with Purpose'  and sell merchandise via The Real World Store with profits being donated to their nominated charities. Some of these items will be on offer at the Telegraph Travel Show including Save the Rhino Tshirts. Guests to the show can also enter the #RealRhinos Raffle to win a luxury conservation safari, meet a dog squad working in Kenya and see rhino conservation first hand. Tickets are just £1 each.  Last year Real Africa's campaign with Save the Elephants raised in excess of £12,000.

Tailor-made safaris of the highest calibre take on a new dimension with Real Africa as guests are invited to engage at a deeper level if they wish – members of the team will be on hand throughout all three days of the show to discuss tailor-made safaris to Africa.  The concept is simple - as well as enjoying a superb safari holiday,  which in turn supports conservation efforts, clients can, if they wish, participate in additional special activities such as meeting the dog squads at luxury not-for-profit Borana Cosnervancy, visiting the Save the Elephants research centre in Samburu or meeting the rangers and elephant orphans at the pioneering Sheldrick Trust in Nairobi National Park.  

 At the current rate of decline both elephants and rhinos face extinction within the next 10 years. Less than 30,000 rhino remain worldwide with the majority living in Africa. 3 of the 5 species are now critically endangered. Illegal poaching is the most pressing cause of decline in rhino populations with rhino horn now more valuable than gold. The horn, which is little more than keratin like our skin and nails is valued in Asia, particularly Vietnam, as a traditional medicine and also as a status symbol. Poaching has escalated dramatically in the last decade with 13 rhino being poached in 2007 and over 1200 in 2014 – a rate of 3 a day. African Elephants are being killed for their ivory at a rate of 30,000 a year – that's one every 15 minutes.

Bloodhound dogs like Howard and Sapphie along with Belgian Malinois can track and apprehend poachers. The dog units, greatly feared in Africa,  are able to work during the night when poaching is at its peak and simply by their presence offer a huge deterrent and protection to the wildlife.  Dog squads can also detect illegal caches of arms and horn/ivory and help the local community find lost livestock.