Florida's python-sniffing dog makes maiden success in new programme to eradicate slithering creatures
Dog handler Paula Ziadi seen instructing Truman after he tracked down an eight-foot-python in Florida. Pics/AP
Like what they do for mankind wasn't enough already, dogs are being trained to detect a reptile's scent and alert handlers when they come across one. In a quest to eradicate the invasive species python, Labrador retrievers, Truman and Eleanor, have been attending class where the Florida Fish and Wildlife conservation commission trainers are using python-scented towels and live pythons with surgically implanted trackers to teach the dogs to pick up a snake's scent.
Truman in Miami-Dade County, Florida, where he sniffed the python
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Recently, their lab Truman tracked down his first snake-a 2.4-metre Burmese python in the Rocky Glades Public Small Game Hunting Area in Miami-Dade county. "We've got to stay innovative and try new approaches. The detector dogs are just one area where we're doing that. They're hard workers and very dedicated-you can see that they're very proud," says Eric Sutton, commission executive director. Estimated to be anywhere between 1,00,000 and 3,00,000 in number, these pythons have become a threat to the Florida Everglades ecosystem as they eat native mammals and birds, disrupting the balance of predator and prey.
They've been successful at reproducing in the swampy Everglades because of no predators. Females can lay up to 100 eggs. And because Burmese pythons have been known to eat small alligators and deer, Truman and Eleanor are trained to keep their distance from the reptiles.
100
No. of eggs a female python can lay
Pics/ Deniz Sadi Instagram
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