📍 Canine Demining: A New Stage for UDA
We continue to develop modern approaches to humanitarian mine action. One of them is the use of mine detection dogs.
Our colleague, Deputy Head of the Humanitarian Demining Team, Gulnara Makarets, has successfully completed a three-month handler training program based on an international methodology.
We are grateful to our partners at APOPO for their support and the opportunity to complete this training.
During the program, participants learned to operate within the ADS (Animal Detection System) framework, including the double-check system, where an area is sequentially inspected by two dogs. This increases the accuracy of explosive hazard detection and allows deminers to work more safely and efficiently.
Mine detection dogs are capable of recognizing dozens of explosive substances, and their use alongside technical equipment significantly accelerates land clearance operations.
In the near future, Gulnara’s dog, Bailey, will arrive in Ukraine. After completing certification, the team will be able to join operational activities.
The development of this direction is another step toward strengthening the capabilities of Ukrainian deminers and scaling up humanitarian demining efforts 🖤💛
