With shaggy fur and an exceptional sense of smell, from this summer Kira will also be patrolling the beaches of the Tavolara–Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Protected Area, looking for sea turtle nests. A beautiful example of a Lagotto, the dog underwent extensive training under the guidance of the biologist and dog trainer Paola Uccello (Amp collaborator) before going into action as a "tartadog", special agent for the protection of nesting sites; the practice, already present in Italy and abroad, is an absolute first for our Region.
Last year Sardinia was affected by 19 nestings, three on the (protected) beach of Lu Impostu, in San Teodoro. «The record number of Caretta Caretta nests in itself is a positive phenomenon from the point of view of reproduction - explains Graziella Dedola, contact person for the Amp of the regional network for the conservation of marine fauna in Sardinia - but it is essentially due to the fact that the turtles they are moving up the Mediterranean due to warming waters. It is increasingly important to find nests and make them safe and in fact it is not such an easy task. Often the discoveries are random and fortunate, trampling on the beaches quickly makes the traces disappear."
The little mutt Zoe has also been trained as a "turtledog", but for now Kira has entered the field: her walks on the beach, throughout the egg-laying period, will provide fundamental help in finding even those small clues, invisible to the eye. naked but, as the Amp experts explain, fundamental for "quickly identifying the nests, securing the surrounding area, protecting the eggs from threats that could prevent them from hatching".
The Amp project, directed by Leonardo Lutzoni, is financed by the Region ; the organization is part of the Regional Network for the conservation of Sardinia's marine fauna.
