Sniffer dogs are usually found looking for contraband at airports and train stations, but the UK government is now dispatching trained hounds to find forest-harming pests.
A dog has been used for the first time in the UK to successfully identify tree disease. Researchers from Forest Research used a trained spanador – a cocker spaniel labrador cross – to find the tree pathogen Phytophthora ramorum.
Six-year-old Ivor the dog achieved a 89% successful first-time detection rate of the pest. This is an important finding as the disease is a menace to UK forests; spread by rain, the fungal-like organism causes the death of a wide range of trees and shrubs and has led to thousands of hectares of felling around the UK.
Dr Heather Dun, a pathologist at Forest Research, said: “The results from the trials have been incredibly encouraging, with a first-time 89% detection rate highlighting the huge potential of dogs in our fight against pests and diseases.”
“Biosecurity is incredibly important and detection dogs like Ivor are an exciting new method for helping to protect our trees.”
Researchers trained Ivor in scent recognition so he could pick up the smell of the pathogen. In the first round he successfully identified Phytophthora ramorum in soil, plant material and sterile distilled water. He was then trained to distinguish Phytophthora ramorum from the scent of other Phytophthora species often found in the same environments.
Sniffer dogs have been used previously to hunt for insects. In 2012, a team of detection dogs from the Austrian plant health inspectorate were used to track down the Asian longhorn beetle pest during an outbreak in Paddock Wood, Kent.
Forest Research will now explore using detection dogs to combat other pests and diseases as there have been a number of successful trials. They plan to trial dogs to seek out the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle.
The UK’s chief plant health officer, Prof Nicola Spence, said: “This groundbreaking research using detection dogs to identify Phytophthora ramorum, alongside other innovative approaches to tackle pests and diseases, will play a key role in maintaining biosecurity to meet the vision set out in our world-leading plant biosecurity strategy.”
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