By the end of this week, a pair of ebony dogs from Bozeman, Montana, will be hunting for ivory relics in Africa, joining the battle against illegal poaching and trafficking.

Steve and Ruger, two homeless black Labrador retrievers, avoided uncertain futures when they were brought to the attention of the Working Dogs for Conservation.

Since June, the two dogs have trained in a junkyard south of Bozeman, learning to search automobiles for ivory of any sort: unfinished tusks, figurines, jewelry or piano-key tops.

The dogs need to know their jobs well, because on Wednesday, they leave for their new homes in the South Luangwa region of Zambia, Africa.

In the picture: Megan Parker, co-founder of Working Dogs for Conservation, rewards Peppin with his toy after he located a piece of ivory hidden in old cars on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Bozeman. Two other ivory-sniffing dogs head for Zambia, Africa on Wednesday to help stop illegal ivory trafficking.

The original article here:http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_a9efb434-4377-11e4-8018-636ca1329e08.html

Photo credit Laura Lundquist/Chronicle