Sniffer dogs lead fight against pests

Abu Dhabi: In a landmark exercise in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi Police have succeeded in using police dogs to detect palm weevils at a farm in Al Foaa in Al Ain city. The insect is considered a serious pest which threatens date plantations.

The successful experiment was a joint move conducted by the sniffer dog section of Abu Dhabi police, Al Ain branch and Foaa farms development and management.

Lieutenant Colonel Jamal Habash, head of the sniffer dog section, said UAE Interior Minister Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was briefed about the experiment, welcomed it and urged the team to double its efforts for the next phase.

He added that more officials would be briefed after the completion of other experiments ahead of registering a patent in the name of the UAE. Habash thanked Shaikh Saif and other high ranking officials at the ministry for their support which brought about the success of the experiment.

Major Hashem Al Sayid Al Hashimi, head of the Police dog section at Al Ain police station told Gulf News that this success was accomplished as a result of the cooperation and coordination between police and the Al Foaa farm development administration.

He headed a team including a supervisor and seven trainers who followed a long training routine for months, after experimenting with both German Shepherd dogs and British Labrador's which are highly sensitive to scents and odours. The German Shepherds were the first to pick up the weevil's odour.