Mackay and Isaac locals were treated to a meet and greet with Cooper, Reef Catchment’s dog detective at a recent community event. Attendees were fascinated to learn how Cooper’s incredible sense of smell helps locate fox dens and the importance of fox management in protecting vulnerable wildlife, including migratory shorebirds and turtle hatchlings.
This event was part of the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust ‘Prioritising the Priority Species of Mackay Whitsundays’ project which also includes targeted feral animal control of foxes with detection dogs like Cooper. This work is timed prior to the annual arrival of migratory shorebirds, such as the Eastern Curlew, who after travelling over 20,000km via the East Asian-Australasian Flyway has lost up to 70% of its bodyweight; making it extremely vulnerable to predation on arrival.
Read the newsletter and the project page.
