END OF THE TRAIL

LAST OF SNIFFER DOGS RETIRES

THE last sniffer dog to work at Cairns International Airport has retired, but smugglers shouldn’t think it will be any easier to bring illicit goods into the Far North.

Jethro (left) the purpose-

bred labrador detector dog has been farewelled from his Far Northern post with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, where he was responsible for helping to protect Australia from exotic pests and disease.

Jethro started working with the department in Sydney in 2013, and transferred to Brisbane where he worked for a year, before finally relocating to Cairns in 2017.

Within the past three weeks, the sharp-nosed canine has moved to Sydney to enjoy the comforts of his post-public servant career with a previous handler. His retirement marks the end of a 23-year period of permanent detector dog presence at the airport in Cairns.

His work will now be carried out by different intervention tools, including X-rays and manual inspections.