Cormorants are found throughout the world. These medium-to-large sized seabirds make their homes in trees, rocks, or cliffs along the water's edge. Cormorants subsist on fish, which they catch by diving down into the water. They will also eat small eels and water snakes. For generations, fishermen in China, Japan, and Macedonia have trained cormorants to help catch fish. A small noose is tied around the base of the bird's neck. This allows the bird to catch fish, but not swallow large fish. When a large fish becomes lodged in the bird's throat, it returns to the fisherman who removes the fish (and keeps it!) and returns the bird to the water.
In a practice still very much alive in Myanmar (Burma) elephants are tremendously helpful in the logging industry. The powerful animals can pull up logs, drag them from the jungle, and make neat piles of them. Using elephants for logging helps to protect the environment because they do not pollute and they do not damage the jungle around them. Elephants enjoy sheltered status in Myanmar-as opposed to other parts of Asia where their numbers have dwindled due to poaching and deforestation-but this may not last for long; the elephants logging is, ironically, slowly destroying their habitat.
In an ancient hunting form still popular in North America, Europe, and the Arabian Penninsula, wild falcons are caught and trained to help people hunt. A strong bond of trust must be established between the hunter and the bird. This ensures that, when the falcon has captured a smaller bird and carried it to the ground, the falcon will release the smaller bird to the hunter. Hunters must take care that no harm comes to their falcon; they are powerful birds in the air, but could be harmed by the smaller bird once on land.
Homing pigeons have carried messages from one point to another since the 1100s, when they were used by Gengis Khan. Since most pigeons will usually return to their nest and mate, homing pigeons are relatively easy to train. Messages are sent by inserting a message written on very thin paper into a tube tied to the pigeon's leg. Pigeon post has been especially helpful during times of war; a service was also established between Auckland, New Zealand and Great Barrier Island starting in 1896. The proliferation of the internet has reduced the demand for homing pigeons' services.
Llamas are used as beasts of burden in most of South America, especially in the Andes Mountains. Llamas are very intelligent and social animals and, using a pack, they can haul 25% to 30% of their body weight for several miles. At the time of the Spanish conquest, llamas were also used to bring iron ore down from mountainside mines. A single llama may also be employed as a guard for animals such as sheep, goats, alpacas, cattle, and poultry. When it senses a predator's presence, the llama will sound an alarm and sometimes even attack the predator!
Truffles, a rare underground mushroom, have been a prized delicacy since the times of the Greeks and Romans. In the United States, truffles are most often found in Oregon and Washington; in Europe, they are found in France and Italy. Pigs, with their sensitive noses, are good truffle hunters (female pigs are the best). Pigs are reliable but greedy; human truffle hunters must be on hand when a pig catches the truffles' odor, otherwise the pig will devour the entire crop!
Dolphins are highly reliable, adaptable, trainable, and extremely intelligent. With their amazing diving abilities and sensory capacities, dolphins are used to locate underwater mines. Working with a human trainer, the dolphins search out mines using their biological sonar (which is more accurate than our man-made). Once a dolphin locates a mine, it alerts the trainer who gives the dolphin a marker with which to identify the spot. After the dolphins have been removed from the search area, the mines can be safely removed. Dolphins are also trained for animal-assisted therapies and as entertainers.
Dogs can arguably be called human's closest companions. Working dogs learn and perform tasks to assist humans. These tasks can range from assisting blind, deaf, and mobility-impaired people; providing entertainment and companionship for people confined to a nursing home, hospital, or prison; searching out and rescuing lost, buried, injured, or deceased people; herding sheep and other animals, pulling sleds through snow or ice; performing on television, in the movies, or in a circus; and helping to flush out prey for hunters.
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