Dogs trained by internationally certified trainers find 100% of their targets. Biosecurity Queensland’s detection dogs find 10%. Biosecurity Queensland only uses the dogs to check if treated nests have been killed. Program scientists say you can tell if a nest is still active just by poking it with a stick. Biosecurity Queensland has no evidence the detection dogs have done anything to eradicate fire ants. The NSW government contracts detection dogs and their handlers to find Yellow Crazy Ants on an as-needs basis. They don’t waste public money training and maintaining dogs and their handlers all year round. Biosecurity Queensland relies on the public to report fire ant nests: which they do. Then Biosecurity Queensland treats the public like fools. As fire ants continue to spread out of control, Biosecurity Queensland says ‘Look at the cute doggies!’ Time for a Royal Commission. 3rd July 2019 Update: Biosecurity Queensland detection dogs only work 2ha per day. Professional standards for detection dogs are 100ha per day, with a minimum of 30ha per day in difficult terrain. 4th July 2019.
Biosecurity Queensland’s fire ant ‘detection’ dogs don’t’ find fire ant nests. They are just for PR. Biosecurity Queensland relies on the public to report fire ant nests: which they do. But, as fire ant spread out of control, Biosecurity Queensland treats the public like fools and says ‘Look at the cute doggies.’
Biosecurity Queensland’s fire ant detection dogs don’t find fire ant nests. Fire ant nests are hard for humans to find. It can take months for a small nest to become big enough to appear above ground. Dogs trained by internationally certified trainers find 100% of the targets humans can’t find. In trials, Biosecurity Queensland’s fire ant dogs find about 10% of the target fire ant nests.
Biosecurity Queensland only uses the dogs to check that treated nests have been killed. You don’t need dogs to do that. Program scientists say you can tell if a nest is still active just by poking it with a stick!
The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries hires professional dog handlers, on an as-needs basis, to search for the Yellow Crazy Ants that humans can’t find. The NSW government does not waste public money training detection dogs or maintaining them and their handlers all year round.
Field staff, including dog handlers, who joined the fire ant program thinking they will be doing a good thing for their community, leave in droves when they experience Biosecurity Queensland’s incompetence and cover-up.
In 2015 the Qld Biosecurity Capability Review said Biosecurity Queensland does not have the capacity to meet current and future biosecurity needs. Nothing has changed. Biosecurity Queensland has wasted millions of dollars of public money training and maintaining so-called fire ant detection dogs and their handlers. Biosecurity Queensland has no evidence, what so ever, the dogs have contributed, in any way, to containing the spread of fire ants or eradicating them.
As fire ants continue to spread out of control, Biosecurity Queensland treats the public like fools and says ‘Look at the cute doggies.’
Time for a Royal Commission.