A SALUTE TO OUR FUR HEROES
Not all heroes wear capes. Apart form human heroes, we have heard of instances when our furry friends have come to the rescue of their owners. Dogs in particular are known for their sniffing capabilities and tremendous memory capacity which makes them suitable for security-related tasks such as detection and tracking. As such, many of them have been deployed to assist in operations carried out by the tri-forces. Spartacus and Alvin were two of them who made Sri Lanka proud during the extensive mine detection operations.
In order to assist in the de-mining operations, Alvin, then a two-year-old Belgian Malinois puppy was brought down to Sri Lanka. He joined the Sri Lanka Army Humanitarian De-mining Unit (SLA-HDU) under a Mine Detection Dog (MDD) donation scheme. Following
his arrival, Alvin was sent to the Sri Lanka School of Military Engineering
in Embilipitiya and was given a basic obedience training followed by mine detection trainings since June 2011. After the successful completion of his training he was sent to a live mine field in Mahakachchikodiya, Vavuniya during the same year. Since then he has sniffed over 79,446 square kilometres of land area covering Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya.
Alvin’s records indicate that he has been able to detect 23 anti-personnel mines, 17 unexploded explosive ordnances (UXOS), 178 ammunitions, six detonators and 100 grams of TNT explosives during his active duties.
Mine and explosive detection tasks are considered as high risk professions and the equipment involved in both tasks are comparatively expensive. Since complete operational guarantee of these equipment can not be ensured, the forces rely on live detectors (canines). MDDS are trained to detect mines at any mine field. Corps of Sri Lanka Army Engineers therefore require the assistance of canines to conduct these operations.
In appreciation of his service, Alvin along with his handler Lance Corporal G.N.W.M Nawarathne of
the 7 Field Engineer Regiment was adjudged the Best Mine Detection
Team at the annual ‘Clearing the Path’ Gala event organised by the Marshall
Legacy Institute (MLI) in 2016. MLI, an organisation dedicated to removing land mines and promoting stability, has been assisting the SLA-HDU in their effort to clear land mines and explosive devices from affected regions in the country. Furthermore, their de-mining effort has enabled 1945 displaced people belonging to 415 families to return home. In 2012, Sri Lanka Army
Sapper D.K.N Rohan and his mine detection dog Spartacus were chosen for the coveted title from over 950 teams from around the world.
The Sri Lanka Army has so far trained a number of sniffing dogs for mine, drug and explosive detection and is tasked with deploying more canines for security purposes. During the Easter Sunday attacks, our fur heroes were back in action, sniffing and detecting suspicious items. As such the services extended by Pene and Dixy of the Engineer Regiment and the capabilities of canines such as Candy, Raaza and
Frank of the Commando Regiment are highly praised.
In addition, the services rendered by war canines such as Commando
Snowy – the first canine recipient of the Rana Wickrama medal and Teesha
– the first Sri Lankan dog to complete a high altitude parachute jump are saluted and remembered to date.