- Phase Two of Canine Tar Ball Protection Project
- Poppy, a springer spaniel, can detect tar balls, or lumps of oil, on the beach
- The study provides advancements in oil spill response techniques
Poppy, a five-year-old Springer Spaniel, has taken on the role as the lead research dog for the second phase of the K9 tar ball detection project. This project is conducted by the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The research project is supported by more than $571,000 in grants from the Texas General Land Office (TGLO). This study will provide advancements in oil spill response techniques.
Poppy was specially trained by Paul Bunker, the principal and founder of Chiron K9 in San Antonio.
“So, Poppy was imported from the UK. We do a process of imprinting. That’s when we associate a toy, a ball, with an odor. For her case, oil," Bunker said.
Poppy is one of the very few dogs in Texas that were trained to detect oil and tar balls. Poppy is the only one out of the few that specializes in detecting tar balls on the beach, rather than the few dogs that detect freshly spilled oil.
“Poppy will tell me every single tarball, and we’ve had over a thousand in one day, at times," Bunker said.
The human observer research team works side by side with Poppy to discover tar balls on the beach and in the water.
“We work in a very complementary fashion. What we’re finding is that, while the human observers, we look for the tar balls visually," Dr. Loretta Battaglia, Tamu-CC Department of Life Sciences Professor & Director for Coastal Studies said. "The canine can detect the tar balls so they’re old factory sense. And so, where we can find them on the surface of the ground, they can also locate them below the sand."
Two years ago, the the first canine tarball protection study looked at dog's capability of detecting tarballs. Now, Bunker, Poppy, and the rest of the researchers from TAMU-CC are in phase two of the project, which is more specific.
“This time, it's an extension of that original project. And now, we're looking at the capability of the dogs to discriminate oil from such things as seaweed, trash, and things like charcoal," Bunker said. "The dog can actually discriminate very quickly and tell you it's an oil. And you don’t have that false positive issue. So, what we’re looking at is, are dogs a lot more efficient and faster at locating tar balls, or spilled oil, than a human survey?"
This tarball detection study not only promises advancements in oil spill response techniques but also emphasizes how animals can help humans address environmental issues. One of the other future goals of the project is to get citizens engaged through a mobile app that will be created in collaboration with TAMU-CC's National Spill Control School in the future.
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