Australia’s first cane toad sniffer dog died after trauma-related incident during thunderstorm

Australia’s first cane toad sniffer dog, Nifty, has died, the Western Australian Parks and Wildlife Department has said.

The department said Nifty was purchased in 2006 and did detection work at trucking depots as well as working at the WA quarantine checkpoint near the Western Australia = Northern Territory border.



“During her first few years, her role was a proactive measure in reducing the risk of ‘hitchhiker toads’ reaching the east Kimberly ahead of the cane toad frontline,” the department said.

“When cane toads entered the state in 2009, Nifty’s role as a quarantine tool became critical.” Over the years, Nifty’s health deteriorated and she was struggling to cope with the intense Kimberley heat. She was retired to a family in New South Wales in 2011. Nifty was put down following a trauma-related incident during a thunderstorm.