Use of a scent-detection dog for sea turtle nest monitoring of three sea turtle species in Florida

by Rebekah J. Lindborg, Pepe Peruyero, Blair E. Witherington

Sea turtles are threatened with extinction around the world and rely on sandy beaches for laying their eggs. To protect eggs and locate them for calculation of reproductive success, beach surveyors must find the exact placement of each clutch. Eggs may be buried up to one meter deep under a nest mound several square meters in area. To locate sea turtle eggs, beach surveyors might spend hours searching for these eggs hidden in the sand, especially for difficult-to-locate leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) eggs. Scent-detection dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are a novel tool that could provide a means to more accurately identify nests and efficiently locate eggs that need assessment, protection, or relocation. We assessed the effectiveness and feasibility of using a detection dog to locate sea turtle eggs buried in beach sand as compared to the traditional method using human beach surveyors. The detection dog was significantly more accurate in detecting loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) eggs and more efficient (less time spent and fewer holes dug) in assisting with locating the eggs. This case study presents results on the performance of one detection dog only, and additional research is needed with multiple detection dogs and handlers.