03/02/2026
Did you know?
Detector dogs helped eradicate nutria from the Chesapeake Bay after decades of damage to wetlands. Devouring up to 25% of their body weight in plants and roots per day, nutria can turn wetlands into barren mud flats. A spoiled marsh offers no protection to fish, shellfish, birds or other wildlife.
At the USDA National Detector Dog Training Center, dogs and their handlers are trained to detect nutria via s**t. Due to their amazing detection work, nutria were officially declared eradicated on 09/16/22 in Maryland.
Maryland’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge saw some of the worst destruction, but nutria eradication has allowed managers and partners to focus on bringing back native plants and restoring the natural hydrology to the marsh landscape.
Now the USDA nutria detector dogs are expanding to other states!
California Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are employing the USDA detector dogs to confirm suspected sightings of nutria in new locations across national wildlife refuges in California like San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge and determine when removal efforts have been successful.
But their jobs aren’t over yet! The USDA detector dogs also assist with detecting feral swine, threatened plants, rare turtles and invasive snakes.
Certified good boys and girls! 🐶❤️
Photo 1: USDA detector dog and handler scanning a marsh at San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, CA. Courtesy of Tal Robinson/CDFW
Photo 2: USDA APHIS, Wildlife Services nutria detector dog Rex is rewarded with a toy after finding nutria s**t at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge , MD. USDA photo by Pamela J. Boehland.
