BILLINGS – National parks are working to “sniff out” a solution to aquatic invasive species, and Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are teaming up with some of the best noses in the business to make a difference.
Tobias, a yellow lab, will hit the trails of Yellowstone Friday to assist in aquatic invasive species (AIS) boat inspections. He’ll sniff out zebra and quagga mussels, which are known threats to the natural ecosystem.
Jax, the Belgian Malinois, didn’t quite cut it as a green beret – but instead, found his love for detection after being adopted in 2017. He’ll hit the road to Grand Teton National Park Saturday.
Non-native mussels were detected in Montana in 2016, and since then, the pressure has been on to prevent more invasive species from entering waterways.
Tobias will be in Yellowstone National Park from Friday through Wednesday helping to detect mussels and giving public demonstrations.
Jax will be in Grand Teton National Park this Saturday through the next Saturday.
The National Park Service continues to encourage people to “Clean, Drain and Dry” their boats.
Tobias is a graduate of Carroll College’s anthrozoology program in Helena. He also works as an invasive species detective in Glacier National Park.
-Reported by Cat Hill/MTN News
