A dog named Fury is to lead Queensland’s fight to detect and eradicate yellow crazy ants.
The pure-bred Labrador (pictured with her handler, Stuart Biggs) has joined the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s frontline, becoming the first in the world trained to detect yellow crazy ants.
Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Leeanne Enoch said Fury’s training was a fantastic achievement for the Authority.
“This is further demonstration of the successful work of the Wet Tropics Management Authority,” Ms Enoch said.
“The Authority has already significantly reduced yellow crazy ant numbers across some 1,770 hectares since the program began,” she said.
“Having dogs like Fury will greatly increase the probability of detecting any last remaining pockets of these invasive ants.”
Federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said the ants were a serious environmental and agricultural threat, listed among the world’s most invasive species.
She said Fury’s training was part of an $18 million Yellow Crazy Ant Control project aimed at eradicating the pest, which was first detected in the Wet Tropics of Queensland in 2010.
“Although trained odour detection dogs and handlers have previously been used to locate infestations of electric ants and red imported fire ants in Queensland, Fury’s success in being able to detect yellow crazy ants is a world-first,” Ms Ley said.
“These ants are a massive problem for native species and for farmers and while we have invested significantly in reducing infestation in the past, we are committing to carrying on with the challenge.”
Chair of the Wet Tropics Management Authority, Leslie Shirreffs said the successful training of Fury now paved the way to extend the program.
“We aim to obtain three more dogs and another handler as part of the program,” Ms Shirreffs said.
She said the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries had carried out an independent validation process which required the dog and handler to complete a series of 10 tests with at least an 80 per cent success rate.
“Fury passed with flying colours,” Ms Shirreffs said.
