Poop Detectives

Poop Detectives

Picture book
Could you imagine passing up a book entitled Poop Detectives?
Well, maybe you could. But I couldn't. It turns out that Ginger
Wadsworth's Poop Detectives: Working Dogs in the Field shows how well-
trained canines can be best friends, not only for human beings, but
for many creatures great and small.
As anyone who has walked a dog and had to stop frequently for
the beast on the leash to check out a tempting scent, canines do
smelling right. Their sense of smell is exponentially greater than
ours. This odor sensitivity is utilized in tasks ranging from bomb
and drug detection to searching for survivors and bodies at natural
disaster sites to monitoring the health status of people with diabetes
or epilepsy.
Scientists have to monitor populations of animals, especially
endangered ones, to detect their health and intervene if something
goes wrong. Trapping and releasing varmints is not the best way to do
this. A trapped animal could die from extreme temperatures,
starvation, or thirst. And there's always the chance that a trapped
and then tranquilized beast, say a grizzly bear, could wake up before
a scientist could get out of claw and tooth range.
Analyzing animal scat (poop) can give the same information in a
much less risky, intrusive way. Humans are awfully slow at locating
excrament. Fortunately someone came up with the idea of utilizing the
super capacities of canine companions.
Poop Detectives gives the reader a fascinating inside look into
how those hard working canines are trained and the really diverse
missions they perform around the world. It's a must read for dog
lovers, budding biologists, and all who care about endangered species.
On a personal note, at the Wilson Center we got to celebrate the
Chinese New Year. We had a very special meal and learned about the
traditions.
A great big shout out goes out to my Wilson Center family.
jules hathaway


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