Meet Flash. He works at the Owl Rescue Centre in South Africa, but he saves more than just owls. This year he has been able to sniff out at least three animals in distress, leading staff to where they need to be to take action.
"Flash is specially trained to track wildlife by following their scent. When we get a call to rescue an injured animal, it's usually still mobile and has moved from its initial location," Owl Rescue Centre co-founder Danelle Murray told Good Things Guy.
"In the most recent case, a monkey had been spotted but then disappeared into an overgrown bamboo grove. Flash was commanded to pick up the scent from where the monkey was last seen, and he quickly led Brendan straight to the injured primate. His help in situations like this is immeasurable. Without his keen sense of smell, we would spend countless hours searching for the injured animal while its life hangs in the balance."
Flash has been able to employ that smell to rescue owls, tortoises, bucks, primates, and otters over the course of his career. A border collie, Flash is bred to be regularly active and complete tasks. Soon he'll be working alongside Chikita, a Belgian Malinois being trained for rescue.
The Owl Rescue Centre is a nonprofit that has been in operation for over 16 years. In addition to animal rescue, it is active in plastic recycling, reforestation, and eliminating the use of rat poison.
As biodiversity continues to see challenges, maintaining healthy populations often requires human intervention. For example, careful conservation efforts have allowed for the successful reintroduction of lions in one region of South Africa.
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If you want to help support Flash's fine work, you can donate to the Owl Rescue Centre here.
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