Plenty of humans around the world work hard on conservation efforts. Sometimes, though, they need a little help — help from dogs, that is.
The Canberra Times reported on highly trained conservation pup Zorro, who aids his human colleague, field ecologist Nicole Gill, in locating bird and bat carcasses at a Tasmanian wind farm.
Zorro is a border collie-springer spaniel mix with black markings on his face that resemble a mask. Every morning that Zorro works, he's kitted out in a hi-vis vest before he and his handler set out to walk the grounds to locate any fallen wildlife.
Zorro also works with another border collie named Gromit, who helps him wander through the wind farm to sniff out any carcasses. Finding fallen birds and bats helps conservationists like Gill track mortality rates, making the wind farm's operations safer for any wildlife that might be around.
As Gill explained, per The Canberra Times, "When it comes to search efficacy … dogs are so much better, so much more accurate and so much more efficient. They're less invasive, in a lot of cases, than what you might be doing."
Gill also explained that dogs are increasingly becoming more common in conservation work. In particular, canines are being used to sniff out all sorts of things.
Compared to humans' roughly 5 million olfactory receptors, dogs have around 300 million, making their sense of smell phenomenal.
Dogs can sniff out everything from disease to emotions, so it's no surprise they'd be beneficial in helping those doing conservation work. Whether it's detecting rare species or learning to locate hedgehogs, a canine's sense of smell can be a boon to conservationists.
Using canines (and other animals) as tools to sniff out biological or habitual markers to locate dead wildlife or endangered populations that are too challenging for humans to find — when done humanely — can make a remarkable difference in research work and conservation efforts.
Since these conservation efforts are more vital than ever, increased use of dogs can make this work much simpler and more effective.
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As for Zorro, he's happy with the work he does, and at the end of a long day, likes going home to enjoy a nice treat and a chew toy before getting some rest for the next day of hard work.
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