Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

What This Dog Does In Tiger Territory Is CRAZY

In the wilds of Malaysia where tigers roam and poachers hunt, conservation dog handler Rita Santos and her dog Hera walk through knee-high grass searching for something that might seem odd but is actually revolutionary: animal poop. Hera was born to a stray litter in Lisbon, adopted at six months, then surrendered back to the shelter when her energy levels proved too much for her family, spending another year waiting until Santos recognized that her boundless energy would be perfect for conservation work. Trained to identify 17 different targets across seven countries, Hera helps track brown bears, wolves, sea turtle nests, grasshoppers, and lizards by finding their scat, which provides incredibly valuable information about an animal’s diet, genetics, hormone levels, parasites, and health without any direct contact.

For decades, conservation relied on physically locating animals through live trapping or camera setups, but dogs like Hera have revolutionized the field by enabling researchers to study elusive species through scent detection in more non-invasive ways. One scat sample can tell scientists everything they need to know about an animal’s overall health and presence in an area, making this unconventional approach far more efficient and safer for both researchers and wildlife. Santos credits her relationship with Hera for making her a better, calmer person, as the dog she originally intended to be a “spare” for another working dog ended up doing entire projects herself and becoming the center of Santos’ world. Their partnership proves that sometimes the dogs rejected for having too much energy are exactly the heroes conservation efforts need, turning what one family saw as a problem into a solution that’s helping save endangered species across the globe.

PrevPreviousThis Cat Is Running For President And Wants YOUR Pet As VP
NextFour Rowers BREAK Barriers At Prestigious RaceNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

Fish Communication Finally Understood By Humans

February 5, 2026

Scientists have identified and matched underwater sounds to specific fish species living off the coast of British Columbia in a discovery that could help improve how fish populations are monitored and protected. This will finally answer the age old question of what noises fish make to speak to each other

Read More
Happy News

Cows Are Even Smarter Than We Thought

February 5, 2026

Veronika the cow has amazed researchers by using a broom to scratch specific areas of her body demonstrating tool use, a skill that was not previously known to be possessed by cattle and calling into question the previous assessment of the cognitive abilities of these farm animals. Study leader Alice

Read More
Happy News

An iPhone Photo Solved A 60 Year Botanical Mystery

February 5, 2026

A plant long presumed extinct in the wild has been rediscovered in Australia ending nearly six decades without a confirmed sighting. Researchers say the small slender shrub called Ptilotus senarius had not been recorded since 1967 and was effectively written off as lost until new evidence emerged last summer on

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.