A Career as a Conservation Canine Handler: Part 2, Do You Have What it Takes?
By Paula Fitzsimmons with Jennifer Hartman
Conservation canines and their handlers are playing a vital role in wildlife protection. Dogs have an unrivaled ability to detect scat from dozens of species – scientists use these samples to learn more about a wild population’s behaviors, movements, and feeding patterns. This data is valuable not only in fighting wildlife crimes, but it can aid in forming effective and humane wildlife management policies.
The dogs, who primarily come from rescues, have to possess certain characteristics to make the cut – namely, a playful spirit, boundless energy, and the ability to work in the field for hours at a time.