Provision of Detector Dogs and Handlers for Cat Eradication on Dirk Hartog Island

The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) is about to implement a feral cat eradication on Dirk Hartog Island (620 km2), which is the largest island off the Western Australian coast. The island (25°50’S 113°0.5’E) lies within the Shark Bay World Heritage Property and is approximately 79 km long and a maximum of 11 km wide.
Following the baiting and monitoring programs outlined below, an independent team of detector dogs and their handlers are to be contracted to assess the success of the campaign.
Essential Criteria
• The contracted team must have considerable experience and a proven track record;
• Familiarity with the island would also be of benefit;
• Bait longevity is unknown and depends to some extent on the microclimate where they land. Detector dogs will therefore have to be muzzled to prevent consumption of any bait material;
• Details of dog movements need to be tracked and documented during the assessment period;
• Thorns are present in some areas, which may necessitate dogs wearing ‘booties’ to avoid injury and lameness; and
• Dogs will need to be trained to:
 clearly indicate the presence of cat scent (scats, urine, body scent) to the handler;
 track scent to a target animal where possible;
 ignore or avoid all non-target animals and their scents;
 travel in field vehicles (ATVs, boats,) and live under field conditions; and
 be under the full control of the handler.