14 DAY TRIAL // Officer Manotas, a furry and highly trustworthy member of the Sea Shepherd organization, has retired. The yellow Labrador, pictured above, joined the Sea Shepherd organization back in 2008. At that time, he was only 2 years old.
After undergoing extensive training, he was transferred to the Galapagos Islands and, since January 2009 until a couple of weeks ago, he dedicated his life to fighting wildlife crime.
As detailed on the organization's official website, his job was to sniff shark fins, sea cucumbers and other wildlife that people were trying to traffic out of the Galapagos, and alert authorities that something was off.
“Manotas worked at Baltra Airport, the main entry point to the islands, checking passenger’s baggage and cargo and at Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island’s major port where the tourist boats exchange passengers, cargo ships discharge their load and fishing vessels land their catches,” Sea Shepherd explains.
Officer Manotas officially retired towards the end of October, when a ceremony to honor him was also organized. He was later flown to Lady's Hope Dog Rescue, a center in Seattle, whose staff will make sure that he is adopted by a loving family.