Community
8 April, 2021
These boots are made for sniffers
When it comes to sniffing out invasive pests threatening Australia’s biosecurity, Personal Protective Equipment is im-paw-tant not just for humans.
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries electric ant eradication team’s highly-trained odour detection dogs are leading the way in workplace health and safety with their specially designed safety boots.
With their amazing ability to sniff out electric ants, the dogs are a key part of surveillance activity – and to keep them safe, handlers do a careful risk assessment before each job.
In areas with risks such as sharp objects, broken glass or used syringes, handlers fit their loyal canine colleagues with their highly fashionable boots.
Pictured is Hank, looking very smart during a recent high-risk surveillance job.
National Electric Ant Eradication Program spokesperson Mike Greasley encouraged locals to help Hank and the team rid Queensland of invasive ants by booking a free yard check.
“Red imported fire ants and electric ants are among the worst invasive species in the world,” he said.
“They have the potential to impact on our outdoor lifestyle, unique environment and profitable agriculture.
“We encourage all members of the public to book a free yard check, even if they don’t think they have electric ants – you can never be sure.”
