On 10 and 11 April 2019 the Anti-Poison Dog Unit (UCA) created as part of the LIFE Egyptian vulture project was presented to the technicians and members of the Body of Environmental Agents of the governments of the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
One of the main actions of the project is the fight against the illegal use of poison (Action C.3), in line with the provisions of the Strategy for the eradication of the illegal use of poison in a non-urban Canarian environment, approved by the Canary Islands Government in the year 2014.
For this purpose, a dog unit was set up consisting of dogs trained to identify the main toxic substances that are used illegally in the Canaries as a poison.
Menta, a female springer spaniel, and Duc, a male Dutch shepherd, together with a Gesplan handler will regularly accompany the Environmental Agents of both islands in the research and localization of bites and poisoned animals in natural environments.
The UCA will carry out urgent interventions in case of discovery of suspect animals that are victims of poisoning or poisoned bites, searching the area in which they were found with the aim of identifying any other remains of poison or affected animals.
Furthermore, the work of the UCA will also be preventive, with inspections in those areas where the use of poison has been verified or where there are indications of it.
In Lanzarote, the presentation took place near the town of Tinajo, in the presence of environmental agents of the island, of the head of the government’s environmental service, Rita Marrero, and of the service technician, Trinidad Melagrejo, of the workers of Gesplan who work in the area of the LIFE project and of the delegate and coordinator of the LIFE project of Gesplan.
In Fuerteventura the dogs were accompanied, in the locality of Rosa de Monja in Puerto del Rosario, by three environmental agents of the government, by the environmental service manager, Ana Calero, by the Service technician, Pilar Ruiz, by the staff of the LIFE project of Gesplan and by technicians of other Gesplan projects.
