Phnom Penh - Cambodia's star landmine-detection dogs are in
financial trouble and urgently need fresh recruits and donations to
keep the programme running smoothly, a senior official said Monday.
Khem Sophoan, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre director, said the
102 mine-detection dogs working in one of the most heavily mined
countries in the world were aging, while the landmine problem
remained serious.
'Dogs are just like people - when they get old, they have to
retire,' he said. 'We love our dogs, and they never fail us.'
Experts estimate Cambodia still has between 4 million and 6
million unexploded mines, which kill and maim about 400 people each
year.
The dogs, mainly imported shepherd crosses, are unmatched for
their ability to detect explosives buried deep underground or located
in rocky areas strewn with shrapnel, according to the centre.
'The canine demining programme costs around 1.2 million dollars a
year,' Sophoan said. 'Sweden helped us set the programme up, but now
we need new dogs to train and financial assistance to maintain them.
'These are unique dogs. Of every 100 we assess, maybe only four or
five make it,' Sophoan said. An untrained dog costs around 4,000
dollars, but a fully trained animal may go for up to 30,000 dollars.
Sweden set up the programme in 1996 using mainly German and
Swedish dogs, and handed it over to Cambodia in late 2002.
Cambodia bred its first litter of puppies earlier this year from a
pair of imported Bosnian demining Belgian Shepherds, but then lost
more than half of the 10-pup litter to an intestinal disease which
rarely proves fatal in more-developed countries.
Funding for veterinary supplies remains pressing, Sophoan said.
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