Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Authority has said that 20 trained canines will be deployed at the country’s main Bandaranaike International Airport to help detect drugs and explosives, local media reported.
The dogs have been trained to easily identify explosives and narcotics hidden in luggage or secretly carried. Local media reported that the trained dogs were imported from the Netherlands, and they include five Belgian Malinois, five Labrador Retrievers, five German Shepherds and five English Springer Spaniels.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the dogs and their handlers were trained with joint support and expertise from the Sri Lanka Police Kennel Division and the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, who used live samples of explosives and narcotic substances for the first time in training dogs. Sri Lanka is set to reopen its airports to international flights gradually from Jan. 23 after some 10 months of closure over the COVID-19 pandemic
