In the Scottish Highlands, environmental detection has found an unusual ally. Sgiath, a six-year-old female Labrador, was honoured by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) at the 26th annual Animal Action Awards.
Her mission is to scour coastlines in search of Didemnum vexillum, more commonly known as "sea vomit". It is a marine organism that threatens coastal biodiversity as well as local economic activities.
An exceptional sense of smell
Sgiath was originally trained as a mountain search and rescue dog by her owner, Dr Texa Sim. Impressed by her pet's exceptional sense of smell, the scientist wondered if her skills could be adapted to protect marine ecosystems.
Exceeding all expectations
"No one had really looked into whether dogs could help tackle this issue in marine environments. What started out as a proof-of-concept project has exceeded all my expectations," explained Dr Sim to the BBC.
Her hard work has now paid off. "It is fantastic to see Sgiath receive this thoroughly deserved award, and I am very excited to see what other wonderful work we can achieve with sniffer dogs," said Dr Martyn Kurr, a marine biologist at Bangor University.
Translated from the FR Wamiz website using artificial intelligence
