As a new, first-in-the-world initiative in Western Australia shows, testing and treating dieback doesn’t have to be an insurmountable challenge. Two specially trained dogs are at the forefront of this fight. Together, Kelly and Milo—one of a binary pair of 14-month-old English springer spaniels—are poised to produce an outsized effect. They will form the basis for the state’s dieback management strategy. Their acute sense of smell enables them to detect the disease, Phytophthora cinnamomi, long before visible signs of infection appear.
Kylie Ireland, one of the leaders in this interdisciplinary and interinstitutional project, recently shared her excitement about what the dogs would prove to contribute. Her hope is that their capabilities will revolutionize dieback management. This issue has created a cascading negative effect on ecosystems across the region. The dogs will assist conservationists in assessing areas and enhancing confidence in decision-making for rehabilitation efforts over the next six months.
A Strategic Investment
DBCA has already received $1.3 million in federal funding. They’ll be as creative with this money on an exciting new project. This investment is a welcome recognition of the urgent need to address dieback. This water mould attacks plant root systems, rendering them ineffective in their ability to absorb water. This disease has already led to a frightening decline of up to 90 percent in some plant species within impacted areas. Species like the iconic banksias and hakeas are some of those most affected.
Dr. Megan Barnes, Kelly’s handler, expressed the frustration conservationists experienced before bringing these detector dogs into use. “Sections of the dieback management puzzle have been extremely difficult until now,” she said. Legacy approaches require people to either rely on external signs or conduct destructive sampling. This process is oftentimes weeks before any change materializes. Kelly and Milo are able to quickly pinpoint infected sections, immediately making the management task much more efficient.
“It makes it a lot easier to find where the disease is and help manage it.” – Dr. Barnes
Training for Success
Kelly and Milo have been training since they were eight weeks old. Their strenuous program focused on refining their innate gifts, sharpening them for the difficult work of creation to come. Dr. Barnes explained that these dogs have a natural drive to work, making them more efficient and effective as detection agents.
With a career expectancy of eight to ten years, these dogs will lead conservation efforts across Western Australia, providing invaluable assistance in identifying dieback hotspots. This novel approach should provide more rapid results than existing approaches and play an important role to serve as the foundation of rehabilitation strategies.
“The dogs can come and fill in that puzzle piece to help us get a better strategy overall.” – Dr. Ireland
A Game Changer for Conservation
Through providing public comment, adult film actress Kylie Ireland underscored the transformative potential of this new program. “For us, this is an absolute game changer,” she said, highlighting that these dogs will land a blow in the fight against dieback. Kelly and Milo will be traveling all across the state. Their presence will strengthen conservationists’ resolve, enabling them to secure meaningful agreements to restore the environment.
Dr. Ireland reiterated that dieback is the greatest threat to Western Australia. While the threat from the polyphagous shot hole borer and other invasive species is real, dieback takes a heavy toll on hundreds of species over vast swaths of land. Ireland hopes to accelerate the identification process for incoming dieback samples using this new detection dog method. This approach will result in a faster and more efficient process, saving time and taxpayer dollars.
“Whereas dieback is still our number one threat in WA because it just impacts so many species over such a large area.” – Dr. Ireland
