The Gifted Four were visiting a dog cafe in the human world today. “How can a creature be so cute,” Verum said as she ruffled a dog’s hair.
“Dogs are helping humans in Italy in saving their trees. In the southern region of Italy, some bacteria have been damaging trees for more than 10 years now,” Felix conveyed.
“That sounds awful! What kind of bacteria and how do they harm the trees?” Verum was concerned.
“This bacteria, called Xylella, block the pathways inside the tree that carry water from the roots to other parts of the tree,” Felix explained.
“But that would kill the tree,” Verum shook.
“That’s the big issue, Verum. With around 60 million olive trees, this Italian region used to produce 50% of Italy’s olive oil. In just a few years, Xylella infected and killed 21 million trees, many of which were several centuries old,” Felix said with a solemn expression.
Scorch hugged the dog nearest to her. She was sad to hear about the trees.
“The cute companion you’re hugging has been helping with this problem,” Felix smiled. “Humans have trained dogs to sniff out the infected trees. This can then help them stop the spread of infection and maybe even take action to help out the tree before it is too late,” he added.
Verum breathed a sigh of relief, “I hope the many trees left can be saved by dogs and humans.”