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 Back
and forth, north to south, east to west, and always up wind, a 10 metre
square of the Bosnian countryside is paced off by a German Shepherd on
the end of an 8 metre long lead. Nose to the ground, he is focused
on the possibility of locating the deadly prize in the staked and flagged
plot. If he is successful, he will sit to alert his handler. 3 hours
later, another dog and another handler will cover the same area.
Each piece of ground is covered 4 times – 2 dogs, each way. With unfailing
accuracy, the dogs detect hidden explosives, including tiny fragments of
metals that have been buried for years.
The dogs are acquired at about 18 months and training takes 4 – 6 months. In the beginning, as with most dog training, finding the explosives is set up as a game, the task as simple as “find the ball”. Dog and handler progress to various types of situations and materials, including live ordinance, with the reward being the handler’s enthusiasm and praise. The bond between dog and handler is essential, as it is expected that they will work as a team for a minimum of 5 years and their lives depend on each other. Landmines are one of the most enduring remnants of contemporary warfare. They are hidden and deadly, made of plastic and metal, and ranging from about the size of a hockey puck to something as large as a birthday cake, capable of blowing off a child’s foot or destroying a tank. Some are triggered by pressure, others by trip wires; they booby trap houses, wells, schools, roads and fields, displacing millions of people from their homes and farms. They cost as little as $3 to deploy and up to $1,000 to remove. It has been estimated that even before the current war in Afghanistan, there were over 10 million land mines strewn about the country during 25 years of conflict – approximately 10 per cent of the world’s total, maiming and injuring 20 people every day. One of the fastest and most efficient methods of land mine and unexploded
ordinance clearance is the use of specially trained explosive detector
dogs, now active in several countries around the world. Even when
peace has been attained in areas of modern conflict, there remains the
need for reclamation and restoration before people can return to some semblance
of normality in their lives. UN sponsored de-mining dogs have
been active in Afghanistan since 1990 and there are now teams readying
for work in Croatia, Yemen, Cambodia, Lebanon, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
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2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
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