A two-year-old pooch is helping save bee population across America.
Darwin, a 2-year-old German shorthaired pointer and the US's very first canine conservationist, specializes in sniffing out bumblebee nests hidden underground.
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Jacqueline Staab, Darwin's owner and a bee researcher at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, said the dog is geared up to embark on his mission.
"Darwin is not afraid of a challenge," Staab told 9News. "He's ready to go, and we're going to find them all."
Staab says that finding underground bee nests can be difficult for humans. She first got the idea to use dogs when she learned of bee-sniffing dogs used in the military in Great Britain.
Darwin, who has the perfect temperament for the job, comes from a long line of detection dogs with one family member in particular who works as a cadaver dog for the New York City Police Department, the outlet says.
At first, Staab says it was difficult to convince a trainer with her unusual request. "I called a bunch of people, and they were like, 'What? I'll get back to you never. Bumblebees, are you crazy?'" she told the outlet.
Eventually, Staab found Highland K-9 in Harmony, North Carolina who helped the pup master the unique skill. Both Stab and the dog currently work in Colorado studying and protecting bee populations in the area.
"Obviously, there's going to be cascading ecological effects if we lose keystone pollinators in any environment, much less the alpine," she told the outlet of the insects.
"Working with Darwin is really cool because he's always super motivated, super positive, ready to go.”
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