Mine Detection Animals: Case Studies in Applied Animal Behaviour.

Many species with odour detection skills have been suggested for possible use in the problem of detecting landmines. However, to date, only one species (dogs) is actually used operationally. The use of dogs to support humanitarian mine clearance programs has expanded rapidly in the last decade, but research on their skills designed to develop and implement best-practice has lagged well behind their operational use. The research programs reported here are responding to that need. Dogs are currently used in up to 30 countries, with about 700 operational or under training. They are used in two general ways : i) searching the ground in minefields, and ii) sniffing filters on which the odour of mines could be present. A second species, African pouched rats, is showing promise in both these roles, although it is not yet operational. In this talk, we cover three general areas : i) the operational use of dogs, including commentary on the training procedures used to create and maintain mine detection dogs ; ii) the GICHD and NOKSH research programs designed to study the factors influencing the ability of dogs to find mines, and iii) the APOPO research program designed to develop and test the possibility of using rats in a mine detection role.