Two dogs have swapped sniffing out drugs for sniffing out Platypuses – all while standing on paddle boards.
Kip the Kelpie-cross and Moss the Labrador were spotted cruising through creeks with their noses in the air.
The clever canines are part of a five-dog, three-human team trained to sniff out endangered animals.
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They’ve been helping scientists track the famously shy Platypus, which hides in burrows along tricky-to-reach waterways.
Dr La Toya Jamieson, one of the handlers in Zoos Victoria’s Wildlife Detection Dog Squad at Healesville Sanctuary, in Victoria, Australia, said the paddle boards help the team get to spots they couldn’t reach on foot.
“It also helps us avoid any snakes sun baking on the banks,” she told What’s The Jam.
Before hitting the water, the dogs had to do core workouts on land to build balance and strength.
Handlers also had to brush up on dog-speak, learning to read their pups’ signals while steering them through the water.
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The whole team follows a special fitness program developed by Penn Vet Working Dog Centre – and yes, it includes the humans.
The squad was set up in 2019 to find threatened species like the Platypus without bothering the animals.
They now work on 27 endangered species projects across Victoria, using science, teamwork, and a lot of doggy dedication.
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