Scientists have made an exciting breakthrough for one of North America's rarest mammals.
After detection dogs from Rogue Detection Teams located 85 scat samples in California's Lassen region, project investigators with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found promising evidence that the critically endangered Sierra Nevada red fox is still holding on, according to KRCR News.
The work is part of an ongoing body of research into the health of the species. In 2021, researcher Cate Quinn said in an article by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that they have been working with Jennifer Hartman and Rogue Detection Teams' dogs to find samples since 2018.
"The information helps us answer key questions like: Are there big dramatic changes in the population? Is mortality going up or down? Is reproduction stopping?" Quinn said.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's estimates as of 2021, fewer than 50 foxes remain in the wild — so every confirmed detection is significant.
Detection dogs have long been known for locating explosives and missing persons, but they are increasingly helping researchers pinpoint biological markers, such as scat and scent trails, that humans often can't find.
This humane approach allows scientists to map the presence of elusive species without disturbing them, giving endangered animals a better chance at recovery.
As Pete Coppolillo, the executive director for Working Dogs for Conservation, put it in a recent article with the Press Banner of California's Scotts Valley, "Our field in the last 15 years has just exploded."
The red fox plays an important ecological role: As a predator of rodents and small mammals, it helps to regulate prey populations and support the health of surrounding plant communities.
The Center for Biological Diversity has expressed concern about the fox's vulnerability to inbreeding, hybridization, and other pressures associated with extremely small populations, as the loss of this species could trigger cascading ecosystem effects.
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Genetic testing of the scat is now underway at UC Davis. The testing could confirm the number of new individual foxes and provide land managers with crucial insights into how to strengthen recovery plans.
According to the KRCR report, Rogue Detection Teams' detection dogs will return in the summer of 2026, with plans to increase the accuracy of their estimates on population size and, from that, determine whether any new Sierra Nevada red foxes should be introduced to the wild in the area to help with ensuring genetic diversity.
Detection dogs also protect communities by identifying invasive species early, preventing economic and environmental damage.
Working Dogs for Conservation has separately trained teams to detect invasive species such as Scotch broom in New York, knapweed in Montana, salt cedar and perennial pepperweed in Wyoming, yellow thistle in Colorado, and even destructive quagga and zebra mussels on boats.
Overall, this particular breakthrough provides hope for future dog detection missions and gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "man's best friend."
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