Black labrador with nose for ‘sea vomit’ is animal of the year
Sgiath was originally trained as a mountain rescue dog before sniffing out sea creatures - Dr Texa Sim
A black labrador from the Scottish Highlands has been named animal of the year for tracking down invasive marine creatures known as sea vomit.
Sgiath, a working dog, has uncovered hundreds of colonies of the creatures – also known as carpet sea squirt – alongside its owner, Dr Texa Sim, a marine ecologist based near Glencoe.
Left untreated, the creatures can harm and kill native species and coastal wildlife.
The six-year-old dog which is “a natural” at finding the marine organisms is understood to be the UK’s first sea squirt-hunting dog.
Sgiath helps Dr Texa Sim detect the invasive marine organism commonly known as ‘sea vomit’ - Dr Texa Sim
The labrador was first trained as a mountain rescue dog and was so adept that Dr Sim thought a career in marine conservation could be a positive step.
Sgiath was then trained to sniff out the scent of the carpet sea squirt which can be difficult to find when hidden in seaweed.
The award-winning animal, which Dr Sim described as a “greedy dog”, is accompanied by Uisge, a three-year-old labrador who was previously used for ecology detection but now helps Sgiath to identify sea squirts.
“The dogs constantly surprise me,” said Dr Sim.
“Every time I think I’ve found the limit of what they’re capable of they show me I was wrong. Their ability to detect incredibly low concentrations of scent is just phenomenal.
”When I first started this project, I genuinely didn’t know whether it would work. No one had really explored whether dogs could help tackle this problem in the marine environment.”
Dr Sim said it was “a complete surprise” when she found out she had won the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) award.
She added: “I’m not doing this to win awards. I’m doing it because I love working with the dogs, I love learning, and I genuinely think this could help marine conservation.”
Ever-vigilant Sgiath is put to work in the Scottish Highlands and Islands - Dr Texa Sim
It is believed the carpet sea squirt, named Didemnum vexillum, originated in Japan. The species arrived in England and Wales in 2008 but has since spread to coastal locations across the UK including Holyhead Harbour in Wales and in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland.
Record-breaking heatwaves this summer have led to warmer seas which have helped the species spread.
The organisms are named after their vomit-like and sticky appearance.
Sgiath was recognised by the IFAW at its 26th annual Animal Action Awards ceremony on Thursday.
Previous winners
Last year’s animal of the year award was won by Henry, a 10-year-old rescue springer spaniel which was recognised for his skills in wildlife crime protection including tracking down evidence of illegal persecution of protected wildlife.In 2024, another springer spaniel named Reid received the award for work with Biosecurity for Scotland, safeguarding endangered birds including Atlantic puffins and petrels.
Sharon Livermore, director of marine conservation at IFAW, said: “Sgiath’s story is like nothing we’ve seen before. Her trailblazing work demonstrates the remarkable potential of dogs to contribute to conservation science in entirely new ways.
“By helping pioneer a world-first approach to detecting invasive marine species, she has placed herself in a league of her own.”
Source: Nature
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