Detector dog leads biologists to rare discovery in lava of volcano: 'It's such a big deal'

A detector dog has led biologists to an exciting sighting in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Slater, a McNab shepherd, found a rare fledgling that had never been spotted in the preserve before, reported ABC News.

Slater is a member of Hawaiʻi Detector Dogs, an organization that trains dogs to locate invasive and endangered species on the Hawaiian islands.

Heard but rarely seen, the endangered band-rumped storm petrel, known as akeake in Hawaiian, is a small, brownish seabird with a white band on its rear. Biologists have known of its existence since the 1990s but have rarely encountered the species in person. However, recently, Slater was able to detect a nest buried underground in the lava of Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world.

The program manager for the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park's natural resources division, Sierra McDaniel, told ABC News that the "cryptic species" has been difficult to spot, especially since the populations began to decline.

McDaniel told ABC News that prior to the 1980s and '90s, the seabird had a "wide" nesting range on the Big Island. However, human development wiped out a significant portion of the bird's habitat, causing severe population declines. Other threats to the bird species include predators, such as cats, non-native barn owls, and mongoose.

"It's such a big deal that we've now been able to partner with these dogs that can really help us out and find where these birds are nesting so that we can protect them in that super-vulnerable time period," McDaniel told ABC.

Within just two days, Slater was able to detect the nest and lead his handler to the rare seabird.

By working with detection dogs, biologists in Hawaiʻi are able to better study and preserve the biodiversity of the island's unique species. Locating their nesting sites and protecting the preserve from predators are the first steps in ensuring the akeake populations can recover.

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