Sit, stay, sniff — and science! Research teams are using dogs’ keen senses to help restore a rare plant’s population.
The Desert Botanical Garden is using trained dogs to aid in the study of the rare Canelo Hills ladies’-tresses orchid, which is an endangered plant that grows in the southern portion of Arizona.
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The plant has a short flowering period which makes finding them very difficult, but dogs can more easily detect them by sniffing them out, the Desert Botanical Garden says.
The plant was first listed as endangered in 1997, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A 2021 analysis said the most significant threats to the plant include loss of habitat, pollinator decline, drought and climate change.
Trained dogs first located the plant in 2022 and researchers are hopeful they will continue to aid in the research process so they can restore the plant’s wild population.
Learn more about these specially trained animals and the work they're doing across Arizona in the video player above.
