Skylar, a Belgian Malinois, sniffs around a date palm tree intently. The canine is on a mission that is, quite literally, of national importance to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Every time she finds her quarry, she is rewarded by a round of fetch with her favourite tennis ball.

Skylar and Lexi, a Belgian Shepherd, are Indian-trained dogs tasked with detecting the arch nemesis of date palms. The beetle, named Red Palm Weevil/ Red Stripe Weevil (Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus or RPW), is about the size of half of the average human finger, and has been the date palm’s nemesis for the last 30 years, leading to the industry bleeding anywhere between $5 million to $25 million annually. Skylar and Lexi form a team that was assembled after the Saudi Arabia’s Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) sought solutions.