Tanzania hunt for top ivory-sniffing dog Published duration 20 July 2018

image copyright US embassy Tanzania image caption This is one of four sniffer dogs the US gave Tanzania in 2016

Police officers in Tanzania are hunting for a talented sniffer dog who has been missing for two days.

Hobby is able to catch smugglers at the busy port of Dar es Salaam by sniffing out guns, ivory and drugs.

Home Affairs Minister Kangi Lugola gave the police a day to find the dog, but they have so far failed to do so.

The minister said Hobby may have been deliberately taken away from the port, where there are only three other sniffer dogs now on duty.

"What I have heard about these dogs is quite unpleasant. I'm told some are rented for other uses. I am really saddened by these reports because these dogs are police officers," The Citizen newspaper quoted the minister as saying.

In 2016, the US gave Tanzania four dogs trained to detect illegal drugs and ivory at the country's main port and airport.

It's unclear if Hobby was one of them.