I don’t know what topic described in this article fascinates me more: that dogs have been trained to locate right whale scat in the middle of the ocean to help scientists learn more about these animals, or the wealth of information that scat provides. Granted it didn’t come as a surprise that whale scat smells, but I had no idea that even the smallest bits of it could attract the attention of trained sniffing dogs a nautical mile away. Not only that, these dogs must work fast because, in addition to stinking, right whale scat sinks in less than an hour. Who knew? But the rewards for these dogs and the scientists with them are great. Following a successful hunting expedition, the dogs get to play with their beloved tennis balls, while the scientists gain access to the treasure trove of information those smelly samples provide regarding a gravely imperiled species.
An acquaintance who’s a sanitary engineer has the slogan, “It may be shit to you, but it’s bread and butter to me.” on her business cards. Floating briefly on the Atlantic, thanks to those sniffing dogs what looks and smells like nothing more than scat may hold the key to the right whale’s salvation.