Labrador Sgiath, which sniffs out invasive carpet sea squirt, named IFAW animal of the year

Mixed · 2A six-year-old black labrador called Sgiath (pronounced Skee-ah) is being named animal of the year by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for finding the invasive marine species carpet sea squirt, nicknamed "sea vomit". 1 2 Mixed · 2The award is part of IFAW's 26th annual Animal Action Awards, held on Thursday 15 October; GB News says the ceremony is at Bafta London and that Sgiath will collect it with her handler. 1 2 Mixed · 2Sgiath works at low tide with her owner, marine ecologist Dr Texa Sim, who is based near Glencoe and has had the dog since she was a puppy. BBC News reports that Sgiath has found hundreds of colonies. 1 2

Mixed · 2Sgiath was first trained as a mountain rescue dog, and Dr Sim then applied her detection skills to marine conservation. She is trained to give a "passive indication", a stillness or stare, when she finds the sea squirt, rather than the barking she uses to signal a find in mountain rescue. 1 2 Mixed · 2Dr Sim says the dog is always right when she points out a sea squirt, even though it can look like slime among seaweed, pontoons and oyster cages. She described the project as a proof-of-concept that "has exceeded every expectation I had". 1 2 Mixed · 2On novelty, BBC News says Sgiath is thought to be the UK's first sea squirt-hunting dog, while GB News says she is thought to be the first in the world trained to track down an invasive marine organism. GB News quotes IFAW's Director of Marine Conservation, Sharon Livermore, calling her work a "world-first approach". 1 2

Mixed · 2Marine experts believe the carpet sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum) came from Japan and reached southern England and Wales in 2008. It ranges from orange to cream, has spread to several UK seaside locations, and reproduces quickly in warm summer months, so warming seas raise fears of further spread. 1 2 Mixed · 2Dr Martyn Kurr, a marine biologist at Bangor University, said non-native "biofouling" species can outcompete native wildlife for nutrients and clog aquaculture pens, marine infrastructure and boat propellers. Controlling them costs millions of pounds a year across Europe. 1 2 Mixed · 2Sgiath now works alongside a younger labrador that has learned the same skills. BBC News spells the name Uisage and GB News spells it Uisge; GB News gives the younger dog's age as three. 1 2