Specially trained dogs embark on critical mission to protect Hawai’i: ‘This is awesome’

There’s a new task force taking to the rainforests of Kaua’i, the westernmost island of the Hawaiian archipelago. A team of dogs is being trained to sniff out a palm tree-killing invasive species, the coconut rhinoceros beetle.

“We’re so excited to get our CRB detection dog program going on the island of Kaua’i,” Conservation Dogs of Hawai’i (@conservationdogshawaii) wrote.

“CRB is a highly invasive species that negatively affects palm trees as well as native plants,” explained CDH, which is a local organization that uses trained service dogs to help fight the loss of biodiversity in Hawai’i.

“Humans and dogs have been working together for over 20,000 years facing untold challenges of survival on every continent, in every climate, in feast and in famine. We have come this far together,” CDH stated on its website.

The dogs have been instrumental in detecting and removing invasive species because of their remarkable olfactory senses. In an ongoing project on O’ahu to eradicate the extremely invasive devil weed, the dogs have been very effective. “We have been impressed with the dogsʻ ability to lead their handlers to plants that are visually obscured by thick vegetation or distance (up to 90 meters away),” CDH reported.

The dogs are trained to recognize the scent of the beetles and guide their handlers to them for extermination. This method helps farmers and gardeners avoid using pesticides to treat these insects.

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The invasive beetle has not infested all of the Hawaiian islands, the CRB response team said: “Their range in the Hawaiian Islands is currently limited to O’ahu, certain parts of Kaua’i, and recently found on Maui and Hawai’i Island.”

“This highly invasive species is not as widespread there as it is on O’ahu so there’s still a chance to make a difference,” CDH said.

“This is awesome!” one commenter wrote.

“Congratulations! So excited for you,” another said.

“I love that you guys are doing this,” someone else stated. “I just chatted with an owner of a nursery this weekend who’s so frustrated with the CB and he didn’t know this was available.”

CDH responded, “Put them in touch with us and we can partner with them to survey their nursery soon.”

If you’re feeling inspired, there are plenty of ways to take local action to tackle invasive species in your region. Volunteers are instrumental to removing invasive species, and even the smallest effort can make a big difference.

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