A pack of perceptive pooches is joining the fight against a destructive pest that threatens Northern Territory agriculture and unique ecosystems.
Odour detection dogs are being employed by the territory government to help find and eradicate exotic browsing ants, which eat and displace native ant species as well as other insects.
First discovered in Darwin Port in 2015, the invasive invertebrates have been found at 23 detection points. But thanks to eradication efforts, surveillance dogs have confirmed all but one property is now ant-free.
Agribusiness and Fisheries Minister Mark Monaghan said biosecurity was critical for the long-term survival of the territory's vital agriculture, horticulture and fisheries.
"When exotic pests are identified, as they inevitably will be, we must act vigilantly to eradicate those threats as quickly as possible," he said.
"Training odour detection dogs and having them readily available to assist with pest detection surveillance activities just makes sense."
Browsing ants originate from Southern Europe and thrive in tropical climates. They tend to form multi-queened super-colonies and farm small, sap-sucking insects called scale, which eventually kill the plants they live on.
As well as the NT, they have been detected in Western Australia and Queensland but biosecurity measures have kept their numbers low enough that eradication is still a possibility.
The NT government has a target to eliminate the pests within two years.
The ants have been declared a pest of national significance by the Australian government, meaning infested sites are subject to movement restrictions.
NT business Top End Conservation Dogs has worked with biosecurity authorities to train local canines for the job.
"Detection dogs are a huge advantage when it comes to detecting invasive pests, diseases and plants," trainer Bronwyn Mullins said.
National Browsing Ant Eradication Program manager Chris Collins implored Territorians to report any signs of unusual ants, saying the co-operation of businesses was essential to preventing outbreaks.
