Our dedicated team in Turkey achieved a major breakthrough last Friday thanks to our trained HeroDOGs, Millo and Grau, and their skilled handler Merve. The diligent efforts of our canine duo led to the unearthing of 40 anti-personnel mines, carefully concealed at depths ranging from 50 to 100 centimeters below the surface.
During their routine mine-detection operation on the border with Armenia and Iran, Millo and Grau exhibited very strong indications near an unusual hole in the ground. The APOPO team launched an investigation and to their astonishment found 40 landmines in a single day.
This remarkable find not only underscores the abilities of our canine partners but also brings us one step closer to a safer, mine-free future in Turkey.
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Milestones in Mine Clearance in Turkey
APOPO’s teams in Turkey, in collaboration with TDI (The Development Initiative), have cleared 593,129 square meters and identified a total of 63 landmines to date. This progress would not have been possible without the dedication and bravery of our teams and their incredible canine companions.
Landmines have posed a threat to the safety and wellbeing of communities living along Turkey’s borders with Syria, Iraq, Iran and Armenia since the 1950s. According to the Mine Action Review, in 2022 some 140.6 square kilometers of land remained contaminated with landmines.
Recognizing the urgent need for action, APOPO, in collaboration with TDI, started operations in Turkey in 2021 as a component of the UNDP Eastern Border Mine Clearance Project. Following a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, APOPO’s demining teams started mine clearance work in March 2022 along the border with Armenia and Iran.
As we near the completion of our mission in Turkey in the upcoming weeks, Millo, Grau, and the rest of the APOPO team will be setting their sights on new challenges. These HeroDOGs and their handlers will soon join our team operating in Karabakh, Azerbaijan, continuing APOPO’s mission to rid the world of the scourge of landmines.
We are very proud of our team’s unwavering commitment and the extraordinary abilities of our HeroDOGs. Together, we are making the world a safer place, one discovery at a time.
