A group of 20 hybrid trained dogs will be officially deployed at the Bandaranaike International Airport today to further strengthen security.
The trained dogs were imported from the Netherlands, includes five Belgian Malinois, five Labrador Retrievers, five German Shepherds and five English Springer Spaniels.
These dogs are specially trained as sniffer dogs in detecting drugs and explosives and would be deployed at the BIA and MRIA in Mattala.
SLAF Commander, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana, said that, ”We imported 20 special dogs from the Netherlands and they have been trained to sniff out narcotics and explosives. These dogs are a genetically hybrid and as such they can be used for military purposes successfully. They possess a very high sense of smell and are ideal for detecting narcotics and explosives. This was the reason these dogs were imported. These dogs would be deployed at BIA and Mattala Airports and would also be used to inspect aircraft to ensure no explosives or narcotics are on-board.”