Jill Pritchard, Missouri Department of Conservation
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is set to launch a new canine unit through its Protection Branch this summer. The new unit, consisting of five dogs and their conservation agent-handlers, will be stationed around the state and used as necessary to work throughout Missouri.
According to MDC, the capabilities of canines are extensive in conservation-related work, but common uses include tracking, evidence recovery, search and rescue, wildlife detection, and public outreach programs. Another rapidly growing use of canines is in the field of endangered and invasive species. There are currently 36 other states using dogs in their conservation efforts.
Summer is coming up and it s the launching of a new canine unit for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Protection Branch. Stationed around the state and used as necessary to work throughout Missouri, the new unit, will be made up of five dogs and their conservation agent-handlers.
Conservation-related work is where the canines are used extensively but they ll also be used for other common issues like tracking, evidence recovery, search and rescue, wildlife detection, and public outreach programs. Currently, 36 other states are using dogs in their conservation efforts.
The five dogs that were chosen for the program includes three Labrador Retrievers and two German Shorthaired Pointers. Retriever-style dog breeds were specifically purchased for the MDC program.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is set to launch a new canine unit through its Protection Branch this summer.
The new unit, consisting of five dogs and their conservation agent-handlers, will be stationed around the state and used as necessary to work throughout Missouri.
According to MDC, the capabilities of canines are extensive in conservation-related work, but common uses include tracking, evidence recovery, search and rescue, wildlife detection and public outreach programs. Another rapidly-growing use of canines is in the field of endangered and invasive species. There are currently 36 other states using dogs in their conservation efforts.
Retriever-style dog breeds were specifically purchased for the MDC program, which consists of three Labrador Retrievers and two German Shorthaired Pointers. The dogs will be used for a variety of enforcement investigations, such as evidence recovery and wildlife trafficking. They will also be used in public outreach programs a