Clever beagles and their sharp senses of smell are being celebrated throughout New Zealand this Sunday, when beagle walks will step out simultaneously at 1pm in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.
The walks have been organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries with support from beagle clubs and are designed toraise awareness of bio-security during Protect NZ week.
Beagles are used by MAF quarantine staff in our international airports to detect pests and items that might carry unwanted diseases into New Zealand.
Beagles and their owners will be en masse in Auckland's Cornwall Park, Christchurch's Hagley Park and in the Botanical Gardens in Wellington. Other breeds can join the walks, but owners must walk their dogs on leads.
The event will include detector-dog demonstrations and informative talks by guest speakers.
