Posted by Updated / Thursday, 22 Aug 2024 19:58
https://www.rte.ie/embed/?id=mfyHlaNBQxGV
Tina the sniffer dog and her handler Karina Buchma will soon be deployed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region to clear minefields.
Ms Buchma and a team of handlers, along with 16 Belgian Malinois, are tasked to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance across Ukraine, the world’s most heavily mined country.
About 25% of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated with mines and explosive devices, according to the country’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
Crews underwent five months of training in Cambodia, and project representatives say a dog can inspect up to 1,500 square metres of land per day, as compared to 20-50 square metres by a person.
The joint initiative by the United Nations Development Programme, the Mines Advisory Group and APOPO – a non-profit organisation known for innovative use of trained animals – aims to boost efforts in demining in the Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kharkiv regions.
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