Economics
Meet the Canines Sniffing Out Trouble in Florida's Orange Groves
- 10-dog unit is early-warning system for tree-killing disease
- Detecting before symptoms emerge, more accurate than lab test
A member of the ten-dog squad that is becoming a crucial ally in stopping the spread of citrus greening.
Source: USDAThis article is for subscribers only.
Mira’s nose is so sensitive that she can smell sick citrus trees, and U.S. orange growers are hoping her super sniffer will help combat one of the biggest threats ever to their crop.
The government has trained including Mira -- a 32-month-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix -- to identify a bacteria that has been killing citrus trees for a decade in Florida, the biggest domestic producer. Similar to canine teams that sniff out bombs, drugs and even bed bugs, this one is on the hunt for a disease known as citrus greening. There’s no cure, but growers hope the animals will give them more time to find one by slowing the contagion.