Sgiath honoured for detecting invasive sea squirt

Sgiath has been honoured as animal of the year for helping detect carpet sea squirt, an invasive marine species.

The dog uses her sense of smell to find the organism beneath seaweed at low tide.

Carpet sea squirt is a non-native species believed to have come from Japan; it reached southern England and Wales in 2008 and has since spread to several UK seaside locations.

It reproduces quickly in warmer months, and warming seas have raised fears that it could spread further.

It can outcompete native wildlife for nutrients and clog aquaculture pens, marine infrastructure and boat machinery.

Control efforts cost millions of pounds each year across Europe, and Sgiath's work offers a way to help locate the species.