Two sniffer dogs in South Australia have got a very important job: searching for fruit fly larvae.
The two pups, Max and Rylee, are taking part in a month-long trial in the Riverland region, along the River Murray, which has faced a number of fruit fly outbreaks in recent years, reported ABC.
It’s thought that the clever canines will detect the larvae by scent. This is something that will hopefully minimize the amount of fruit going to waste.
Training Comes First
Of course, the dogs had to be trained first. This involved hiding sterile larvae in mesh bags which their trainers then buried in the ground or hung from trees. The dogs learned to associate the scent of larvae with a reward.
“Emotionally we see the dogs get quite happy with themselves because they know what’s coming”, explained dog trainer Gemma Wood.
Gemma and her father, Danny, also a dog trainer, are Riverland residents themselves. They explained that the fruit fly outbreaks affect their loved ones, so it hits close to home.
Danny explained that Rylee, a German Shepherd, had a background in search, but was more accustomed to locating missing people. In contrast, Max was trained in human remains detection. “She could find a single human’s tooth in a few acres in no time at all,” he said.
A Long-Term Job?
Clare Scriven, Minister for Primary Industries said that if the trial is successful, the dogs would be put to work on an ongoing basis. “Finding Queensland fruit fly larvae early is important in preventing it from spreading and becoming established,” she explained.
“Teams currently find larvae by searching fruit trees for signs of fruit fly damage and cutting fruit open to inspect further. The detector dogs will potentially enhance this good work by helping to identify possible hotspots in large areas of land much faster.
“They’ll be put to work in the Riverland, which is where we’ve got 15 outbreaks of fruit fly. It’s really important that we focus in the Riverland area so that we can restore the pest-free status that is so important for our primary producers in terms of accessing world markets.”
