Animal sentinel

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A domestic canary, of the type historically used to detect gas in coal mines.
Animal sentinels, or sentinel species, are animals used to detect
risks to humans by providing advance warning of a danger. The
terms primarily apply in the context of environmental hazards rather
than those from other sources. Some animals can act as sentinels
because they may be more susceptible or have greater exposure to a
particular hazard than humans in the same environment.[1] People
have long observed animals for signs of impending hazards or
evidence of environmental threats. Plants and other living organisms
have also been used for these purposes.

Contents [hide]
1 Historical examples
2 Characteristics
3 Specific applications
3.1 Toxic gases
3.2 Air and water pollution
3.3 Infectious diseases
3.4 Household toxins
3.5 Bio terrorism events
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Historical examples[edit]
There are countless examples of environmental effects on animals
that later manifested in humans. The classic example is the "canary
in the coal mine". The idea of placing a canary or other warm blooded
animal in a mine to detect carbon monoxide was first proposed by
John Scott Haldane.[2][3][4] Well into the 20th century, coal miners
brought canaries into coal mines as an early-warning signal for toxic
gases, primarily carbon monoxide.[5] The birds, being more sensitive,
would become sick before the miners, who would then have a chance
to escape or put on protective respirators.
In Minamata Bay, Japan, cats developed "dancing cat fever" before
humans were affected due to eating mercury-contaminated fish.[6]
Dogs were recognized as early as 1939 to be more susceptible to
tonsil cancer if they were kept in crowded urban environments.[6]
Studies similarly found higher disease rates in animals exposed to
tobacco smoke.[6] Yush disease was similarly discovered when
poultry began dying at alarming rates due to polychlorinated biphenyl
poisoning, although not before approximately 14,000 people were
affected.
Characteristics[edit]
Animal sentinels must have measurable responses to the hazard in
question, whether that is due to the animal's death, disappearance, or
some other determinable aspect.[1]
:34
Many of these species are
ideally unendangered and easy to handle. It is important that the
species' range overlap with the range being studied.[7] Often the ideal
species is determined by the characteristics of the hazard.
For example, honey bees are susceptible to air pollution.[1]
:35

Similarly both bats and swallows have been used to monitor pesticide
contamination due to their diet of insects that may have been affected
by the chemicals.[1]
:35
By the same token, aquatic animals, or their
direct predators, are used as sentinel species to monitor water
pollution.
Some species may show effects of a contaminant before humans due
to their size, their reproductive rate, or their increased exposure to the
contaminant.[7]
Specific applications[edit]


A rabbit being used to test for nerve gas.
Toxic gases[edit]
Canaries were iconically used in coal mines to detect the presence of
carbon monoxide. The bird's rapid breathing rate, small size, and
high metabolism, compared to the miners, led birds in dangerous
mines to succumb before the miners, thereby giving them time to take
action.
Air and water pollution[edit]
A number of animals have been used to measure varying kinds of air
pollution. These include honey bees for air pollution, bivalve
molluscs[8] for online water-quality survey and pigeons for
atmospheric lead.[1]
:35
Bats and swallows have been used to monitor
pesticide contamination due to their diet of insects that may have
been affected by the chemicals.[1]
:35

Aquatic DDT pollution has been quantitatively measured in California
fish. PCB has been measured through the analysis of fish livers.[1]
:82

Toxaphene concentrations were discovered far from the area of its
use through analysis of trout in the Great Lakes.[1]
:85
The evidence of
atmospheric transport of the substance influenced the subsequent
prohibition of its widespread use. Alligators may have been used to
warn of hazardous contamination in Centreville, Mississippi retention
ponds.[9]
Infectious diseases[edit]
The discovery of West Nile Virus in the western hemisphere was
heralded by an outbreak of disease in crows and other wild birds.
Other emerging diseases have demonstrated linkages between
animal health events and human risk, including Monkeypox, SARS,
and Avian Influenza.
Household toxins[edit]
Dogs may provide early warning of lead poisoning hazards in a
home, and certain cancers in dogs and cats have been linked to
household exposures to pesticides, cigarette smoke, and other
carcinogens.
Bio terrorism events[edit]
Some speculate that animals could provide early warning of a
terrorist attack using biological or chemical agents. Since most
potential bioterrorism threats are zoonoses (infectious diseases of
animal origin), animals could also be at risk from a terrorism attack
and may be first to show signs of illness due to increased exposure or
susceptibility. For example, when anthrax was inadvertently released
from a Soviet weapons facility in Sverdlovsk, livestock died at a
greater distance from the plant compared to human cases.
See also[edit]
Guard dog
Indicator species