Zoo lecture looks at scent detection dogs

The Sequoia Park Zoo Conservation Lecture Series continues Feb. 15 as a free hybrid event, offered both in person and via Zoom.

This month’s speakers are presenting virtually, and the zoo will host a watch party. Jennifer Hartman and Heath Smith will talk about working with scent detection dogs on wildlife conservation projects in their talk titled “Working with Detection Dog Teams: A Wildlife Conservation Methodology.”

The event begins with a zoo update slide show at 6:45 p.m. The lecture starts promptly at 7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to ask the speaker questions after the presentation.

The Rogue Detection Teams is a conservation detection dog program based in Washington state, with operations around the world. They advocate for adopting fetch-obsessed dogs from shelters that might not otherwise be adopted into a home environment and then teach these dogs how to search for data from endangered species. The rescue dogs work alongside their “bounders” (aka canine handlers). Their work is non-invasive, which is also a win-win for wildlife by eliminating stressful handling or invasive procedures. In this way, Rogue Detection Teams is a resource for wildlife, shelter animals and researchers who require data on rare or cryptic species in the wild.

Smith is an instructor with Rogue Detection Teams and began working with detection dogs in 2001. Hartman is a field scientist with Rogue Detection Teams and has worked with detection dogs since 2009.

The in-person watch party will take place in Sequoia Park Zoo’s Flamingo Room at 3414 W St., Eureka. Attendees can enter the zoo through Gate C, located to the left of the main gate at the W Street crosswalk. To attend virtually, a free, registered Zoom account is required. The Zoom link will be available on the zoo’s website at SequoiaParkZoo.net.