Conservation Canines of the Pacific: Protecting Refuges and Wildlife, One Paw at a Time
What does a wildlife inspector look like? Would your description include a warm wet nose or wagging tail?
Meet some of the cutest members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) family — conservation canines.
These incredible canines and their superior sense of smell help The Service and our partners protect endangered and threatened native plants and wildlife.
Each canine has their own distinctive story and unique set of challenges to solve. However, one thing is clear, these special canines have made a tremendous impact on conservation, their wildlife inspector human partners and the countless wildlife that have benefited from their help.
CNMI: Conservation K-9 Tag Team
Greta and Zing’r, Aachen Dutch shepherds, were chosen as puppies to help protect the Commonwealth of the North Mariana Islands (CNMI) from an invasive species invasion. Greta and Zing’r are now putting their sophisticated natural born sense of smell to good use. A goal for Greta and Zing’r along with their U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partners’ is to prevent the unintentional deportation of brown tree snakes from Guam to neighboring islands.
Greta and Zing’r have a very different personalities. “Greta is very outgoing and confident”, said Kevin Donmoyer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Invasive Species and Diseases biologist. “While Zing’r is shy and nervous.” Together Greta and Zing’r make a formidable brown tree snake detection team.
Potential canine detectors like Greta and Zing’r start their career when they are pups. Each pup receives little training before arriving on Saipan. To prepare the pups for success, wildlife canine handlers use captured brown tree snakes during training. Once the training is complete, pups like Greta and Zing’r are ready to join the brown tree snake interdiction team.
Guam is unfortunate example of an ecosystem thrown drastically out of kilter by the introduction of brown tree snakes.
Walking the forest of Guam is an eerie and resoundingly quiet experience. The reason for an entire native forest shrouded in silence is the result of brown tree snakes. This invasive predator is the leading reason for the extinction and extirpation of the majority of Guam’s native birds. Along with threatening Guam’s native bird populations, brown tree snake have an impact on the environment, native reptiles and the local economy.
Greta and Zing’r are part of a multi-tiered interdiction plan with the CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife to contain and stop the possible spread of brown tree snakes. They are not only an effective and efficient sniffing out the elusive invasive snakes, but also outstanding and approachable public representatives of the Invasive Species program for many witnessing the canines at work.
Find out more about the Brown Tree Snake program at https://goo.gl/kStmwa
Kauai: Veteran Detector Dogs
From detecting endangered hoary bats along windmills to saving ducks in Kauai, these two dogs are conservation veterans. The duo of Bodhi and Solo are part of a recent study to determine the most effective method to reduce or eliminate avian botulism.
But what makes for a good detector dog? The answer — good temperament and the love of food. “Bodhi is extremely food-motivated and loves to do detection work”, said trainer and handler Kyoko N. Johnson of County Canine LLC. “She is also very sweet and affectionate with people.” More focused on the work, “Solo is more interested in working than socializing”, said Johnson.
Along with their distinctive personalities, both canines are experienced and great candidates for this study.
Avian botulism type C is a paralytic disease that affects endangered waterbirds on the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), caused by ingestion of a toxin produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Clostridium botulinum is a naturally-occurring, benign soil bacterium that can produce a deadly toxin under warm, wet, and stagnant conditions. Following ingestion of this toxin, birds become paralyzed and eventually die due to respiratory failure or drowning from the inability to hold their head above water. Botulism is not an infectious disease, rather it is food poisoning that the birds get from ingesting invertebrates and other food that bioaccumulates the toxin.
Bodhi and Solo worked to detect Hawaiian duck carcasses within Hanalei Wildlife Refuge. In this conversation version of Duck Hunt, Bodhi and Solo sought out the Hawaiian ducks carcasses infected with avian botulism. Outbreaks can be exacerbated by the carcasses being left to decompose and expose more ducks to botulism toxin. This pilot study was to determine how efficient and accurate the dogs are in finding the ducks as compared to more conventional methods, like human visual surveys.
Discover more about Bodhi and Solo, and avian botulism at https://goo.gl/ssmF3m
Washington: Keeping refuges safe
Stopping crime dead in its tracks. Ukkie, a Belgian malinois, is helping the law enforcement officers track down illegal drugs. Ukkie and officer Josh Hindman are partners for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Washington state. “Ukkie and I have worked drug cases on the refuge… and assisted local and state officers while they were make arrests”, said officer Hindman. “Ukkie has also tracked felons and located an article from a marijuana grow on a National Wildlife Refuge.”
Ukkie has been trained to locate illegal drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and more.
National Wildlife Refuges are public places were thousands of visitors go to recreate in the outdoors, commune with nature and enjoy the beauty of America’s national treasures. Trained crime fighting dogs like Ukkie are helping to ensure that your wildlife refuges remain a safe and special place for future visits.
Learn more how Ukkie is helping officers make a Mid-Columbia River a safer place at https://goo.gl/LJjnfs
National Wildlife Refuges face myriad of challenges and ecological pressures. The Service continues to explore innovative conservation measures and techniques to address these many concerns. Ready to answer to call, conservation canines have proven to be a vital partner in protecting refuges and wildlife.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, connect with us through any of these social media channels at https://www.facebook.com/PacificIslandsFWS, www.flickr.com/photos/usfwspacific/, or www.twitter.com/USFWSPacific.
