Working dogs for conservation

Debbie Woollett: Putting a Dog’s Nose to Work for the Forest

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One of biologist Debbie Woollett’s star colleagues has four legs. Wicket is a Labrador mix for Working Dogs for Conservation, an organization that Woollett co-founded to apply dogs’ abilities to conservation projects. Wicket can recognize the scents of 26 species and has “alerted” on moon bears in China, elephants in Southeast Asia, invasive snails in Hawaii, and grizzly bears and black bears in North America.

Sniffing for Science

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Scientists certainly come in all shapes and sizes, but did you know sometimes they have four paws?! Recently, the League partnered with Tim Beam (Humboldt State University), Scott Osborn (California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife), and Working Dogs for Conservation …

For a League-sponsored study, Wicket sniffs for the scent of a white-footed vole, one of the rarest and least understood mammals in North America, and one of the only mammals endemic to the coastal coniferous forests of Northern California and Oregon. Photo by Humboldt State University

Seeking Elusive White-Footed Voles

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The League funded an ambitious study to learn more about white-footed voles. Unfortunately, they’re almost impossible to find in the luxuriant understory of the typical coastal redwood forest. In response, researchers have released the hounds.