| DRI | WILDLIFE DETECTION DOGS TAKE LEAD IN LOCATING THREATENED DESERT TORTOISES | |
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DOGS FILL SPECIAL NICHE
As human development continues to encroach on the habitat of rare, threatened, and endangered species, rapid, accurate and cost-effective wildlife census techniques are becoming increasingly important. Desert tortoises are notoriously difficult to find, especially at low population densities and in thick vegetation or rough terrain. Scenting abilities of trained detection dogs have been well-documented in law enforcement, and these abilities also have been successfully applied to similar applications for other wildlife species. Drs. Cablk and Heaton’s study showed that trained wildlife detection dogs can effectively and reliably search out Mojave Desert tortoises—being significantly more effective than humans at finding tortoises camouflaged in shrubs, as well as hidden in burrows. The dogs in this study demonstrated an amazing overall detection accuracy of 90% —a result not achievable with humans alone . In addition, dogs located tortoises at distances of more than 60 meters (approximately 200 feet.) Through comparative clearance surveys, this preliminary research also demonstrated that dogs are capable of locating more tortoises than humans thus resulting in better estimates of actual population sizes. The dogs were able to find tortoises in the smallest size classes whereas humans alone almost never locate newly hatched tortoises. Data on hatchling and juvenile tortoises will contribute significantly to the body of knowledge on the natural history of the desert tortoise and may shed light on the plight of tortoises as a threatened species. For this reason, dogs could be especially useful in filling a special survey niche in the future. These results suggest that wildlife detection dogs may greatly enhance tortoise population surveys, especially with regards to small tortoises that typically go undetected. Dr. Mary Cablk, DRI Assistant Research
Professor, |
