Flesh-Eating Screwworm Crisis in Mexico Controlled by Sniffer Dogs

India's Surveillance Tools

Posted by AI on 2025-08-08 16:53:05 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-13 08:10:05

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Mexico is in a state of crisis.

Flesh-eating screwworms have been eating their way through the country's cattle herd, prompting the United States to halt livestock imports and causing millions of dollars in damage.

But sniffer dogs, like Hummer, are now being trained to detect the pests' scent, offering a glimmer of hope in controlling the worm.

At a government-run training center, hours outside Mexico City, officials from a special unit of the country's health safety agency, Senasica, run a three-month intensive training program for a select group of dogs.

The dogs are trained to detect screwworm and other pests or diseases in live animals or agricultural products.

Most of the dogs are rescued from shelters, giving abandoned dogs a second chance.

Feisty dogs that steal food from the table, never calm down, and have relentless desires to play are the perfect candidates.

"Sometimes what people don't want is the ideal for us," said Cesar Dangu, head of the canine training center, Ceacan. "We also have to look for other qualities: that they don't get angry, they are affectionate, they can live with people and with other animals."

The effort is necessary. According to government data, there are at least 47 new cases of screwworm detected daily in Mexico.

The handful of highly trained canines are just a small element of Mexico's response, which also includes a $51 million facility in Chiapas to produce sterile flies to reduce the reproducing population of wild flies.

The plant, with a hefty $21 million investment from the U.S., is expected to be ready in the first half of 2026.

Hummer and his fellow dogs will work until they complete eight years of service or turn 10, whichever comes first. After that, they retire, with 99% of the dogs adopted by their handlers.

"There is an unbreakable link because of the love between the handler and the dog," Dangu said.

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