A growing number of scat-detection dogs are being used to track wildlife by land and by sea. Dogs possess such an extraordinary sense of smell that they can distinguish among the feces of 18 species at once, making them ideal tracking aids for conservation biologists hoping to cover a lot of ground. Or water. Here's a look at some of the work these canine trackers are doing.
-- Bryn Nelson";
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Pinpointing poaching hot spots
Samuel Wasser of the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology believes the booming black market for ivory may be driving an 8 percent annual mortality rate for elephants throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. His lab has been fighting back by matching the DNA in poached ivory to DNA in the feces of different elephant populations to pinpoint poaching hot spots. Pictured above is an intercepted load of poached elephant ivory traced back to Zambia.";
Innovation_DogDetectors_071126[i++] = new Array("","Work to play","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071112/071112_Detection-2_brill_11a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Fred Felleman / University of Washington", "", "238", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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Work to play
Tucker, a black Labrador retriever, actively follows the scat of a killer whale in Washington State’s Puget Sound. The dog’s excitement is evident by his low crouch and upright tail. Finding the scat will give Tucker a chance to play – and researchers a chance to measure PCB levels and other health indicators of the whales.";
Innovation_DogDetectors_071126[i++] = new Array("","Armadillos, anteaters and jaguars, oh my","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071112/071112_Detection-3_brill_11a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Samuel Wasser / University of Washington", "", "273", "385", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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Armadillos, anteaters and jaguars, oh my
C.J., a chocolate lab at the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology, eagerly awaits his ball after alerting to maned wolf scat in Brazil’s savanna scrublands. In addition to the wolves, detection dogs there are tracking giant armadillos, giant anteaters, jaguars and pumas.";
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Play time for Rio
Some welcome play time for wildlife biologist Deborah Smith and her German shepherd, Rio, during a training session in Montana. Among their many projects, the co-founder of the Montana-based Working Dogs for Conservation Foundation and Rio have helped track down hundreds of scat samples from kit foxes in California.";
Innovation_DogDetectors_071126[i++] = new Array("","Follow the tail","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071112/071112_Detection-5_brill_11a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Working Dogs for Conservation Foundation", "", "273", "226", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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Follow the tail
Pepin, a young Belgian Malinois owned by Working Dogs for Conservation Foundation co-founder Megan Parker, searches for grizzly bear scat in Montana. Pepin’s upright tail is one cue that the dog is actively following a scent trail.";
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Covering a lot of ground
Rick, a German shepherd mix with the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology, takes the lead in searching for grizzly bear scat in Alberta’s vast Jasper National Park. Among their many attributes, detection dogs can easily cover a lot of ground.";
Innovation_DogDetectors_071126[i++] = new Array("","The nose knows","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071112/071112_Detection-7_brill_11a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Samuel Wasser / University of Washington", "", "273", "392", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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The nose knows
Gator, an Australian cattle dog at the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology, is hot on the trail of grizzly bear scat in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta’s Jasper National Park. Gator has since begun matching scat samples to individual animals – a feat possible only with a super-sensitive nose."; // END editorial data