Source: Defenders of Wildlife
Three new sniffer dogs named Hilo, Jane and Winnie are joining Alberta’s fight against invasive mussel species. As it stands now, those invasive species have not been found in Alberta.
Mussels have been spreading throughout the Great Lakes and Canadian waters since the 80’s, and are considered filter feeders that strain their food out of the water. They are efficient eaters however, and can often choke out food sources for larger fish, which cuts down their numbers.
The mussels the canine team is looking out for are golden, zebra and quagga mussels, with golden mussels recently establishing themselves in California.
Finding dogs that are up to the task are rare though, according to Cindy Sawchuk, one of the leads for Alberta’s Aquatic Invasive Species Operations, as dogs up for the task of mussel sniffing are less than 1 in 1000.
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