Find out how Jinx the dog is helping us to keep Wales’ islands predator-free for breeding seabirds.
With its craggy cliffs and offshore islands, Wales’ coastline is not only beautiful, it’s also globally important for breeding seabirds. More than half of the world’s Manx Shearwaters nest in burrows on Welsh islands, with over 350,000 pairs on Skomer alone. RSPB Grassholm, off the Pembrokeshire coast, hosts one of the largest Gannet colonies in the world, and Wales is home to important numbers of many other seabirds, including Puffins and Arctic Terns.
Many of Wales’ offshore islands are safe havens for breeding seabirds, thanks to the absence of ground predators. However, if invasive predators like rats reach these islands the consequences could be catastrophic: seabirds haven’t evolved to defend themselves against these opportunistic hunters and as a result rats can quickly wipe out entire breeding colonies by eating eggs, chicks and adult birds.
Believe it or not, a single pregnant Brown Rat can produce a colony of 300 rats in just over eight months. That’s why it’s vital to stop them reaching islands where seabirds breed and ensure systems are in place to swiftly deal with any stowaways.
Through the EU LIFE-funded Biosecurity for Life project, followed by the Nature Networks-funded Biosecurity for Wales project, we’ve been safeguarding seabirds by working with island managers, boat owners and communities to prevent predators reaching 13 Welsh islands, from the tern-filled Skerries to the Gannet colony on RSPB Grassholm.
This work has been assisted by a very special member of staff – Conservation Detection Dog Jinx. Jinx has been trained just like bomb or drug detection dogs, but instead of searching for explosives or contraband, he can pinpoint the tell-tale scent of rats.
Together with his handler Greg Morgan, he checks for stowaways on boats and carries out routine checks on Wales’ major seabird islands. Thanks to his super-sensitive nose, Jinx allows us to investigate any signs of predators far quicker than we could without him.
Jinx is now a master at sniffing out predators that could pose a threat to the islands’ birdlife, but how does he tell Greg he’s found something? Barking would seem to be the obvious choice, but this could disturb seabirds nesting nearby, so instead, Jinx is trained to freeze to the exact spot where he discovered the scent so that Greg can investigate further – he will never chase or catch rats.
As well as putting his nose to good use, Jinx also uses his canine charms to help us raise awareness of biosecurity with the local community and tourists. He’s a particular hit with schoolchildren who love watching him demonstrate his scent detection talents.
Despite the end of the Biosecurity for Wales project in 2024, additional funding secured in 2025 means that we can continue active surveillance of islands with the help of Jinx, while working with key stakeholders to help ensure effective, long-term biosecurity measures are established across Wales.
With constant cargo traffic near Welsh seabird islands and thousands of tourists visiting these islands by boat, this ongoing monitoring and management is essential to minimise the risk of a predator reaching an island where it doesn’t belong.
