In the past few years we have witnessed landslides and other natural disasters, especially in the hill country. During the rescue operations first responders often put themselves at great risk to search for survivors, often hindered by rain and gushing water. Some human bodies were never discovered, and will remain buried forever depriving the mourning family of having a decent funeral for their departed loved one. Realizing the importance of carefully taking the dead out of such dangerous terrain requires a rapid yet safe response. This is where the Army Commando Regiment has risen to the challenge, within a short period of time. In September 2018 the regiment’s kennels received their first batch of Beagle puppies. These cute and intelligent dogs were accepted by their handlers as well as the other military dogs already in active service.
In order to understand the importance of this project- which is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka I went to the regiments kennels located at Ganemulla. The officer in charge Major Shirantha Allahakkoon explained The commando regiment kennels have previously trained dogs for military duties such as tracking, explosive detection and guard dogs. The breeds used for those tasks were German shepherds, Rottweiler’s, Labradors and Belgian Malinois. This is the first time we are training Beagles who would be able to detect a dead body, which could be in various stages of decomposition, in different landscapes. This concept is new to our emergency first responders. We are following a manual from the USA. For example in America cadaver dogs are used by law enforcement officers to find people who have been killed and hidden in the forest by serial killers”.
As we were talking one of the Beagles (named Coco), came up to me and waited expectantly to be petted. I obliged the dog with a gentle pat on the head and he was soon seated next to us, earnestly trying to join the conversation! Major Allahakkoon added ‘These eight dogs came to us as puppies, and now they are 14 months old. We initially gave them the basic obedience training for 3 months. This is the foundation level training for all our active duty canines.
During this time our handlers (soldiers) were able to bond with the dogs, earning their trust, and understanding their body language. This training is unique- we are not looking for an escaping subversive or finding an injured survivor. In contrast we are looking for a motionless body, which is probably buried in the mud or in water. The body maybe buried there for a week or even more. We have trained the Beagles using natural and artificial scent. The artificial scent is purchased from Germany and delivers a real life putrid odor. With the permission of the Health Ministry we have access to natural odors. The artificial odor is a liquid capsule. We use the capsule by burying it in the mud or sand and allow the dogs to get the scent. As always this is a reward based training for the canine”.
Cadaver dogs have been trained and used in foreign countries for at least the past decade. Normally the following breeds display excellent prowess when it comes to olfactory senses- Beagle, German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois, English springer spaniel and the Coon Hound. Medically a human body decomposes in five stages and releases a staggering 424 chemicals, during the process. A Beagle has 300 million olfactory receptors in its nose which makes it best suited for this somewhat unusual task. The dogs are able to pick up and filter the scent of a corpse ranging from 6-10 feet in the loose soil, 
even if it has water flowing through. In areas of still water the Beagle can surprisingly pick up the scent of the dead person, as the putrid body odor tends to slowly rise above the waterline. At Ganemulla the dogs begin their day at 5.30 am with a short check for good health. They are taken for some exercise, and breakfast is served at 9am. These adorable canines are fed with milk, eggs and biscuits. During the rest of the day they are trained to sniff in all kinds of terrain, including dense thickets. The army hopes to train them in different locations such as Nuwara Eliya and Anuradhapura, focusing on extreme climates. After a rest the animals are given their second meal at 4 pm which consists of rice, beef or fish. Coco is now joined by three other canine friends, along with their handlers. Keeping the dogs in line for a photo turned out to be fun- and after many photographs I got the best possible one with the gentle dogs looking towards me! The Major added “Dead body management is a new concept here. In the past we have visited scenes of natural disasters. Heavy equipment like a backhoe is used for digging. A backhoe will damage a dead body, often tearing apart a limb. Remember this could be a parent, sibling, or a precious child. The family has a right to get the body intact to conduct final rights according to their religious rituals. This is where our Beagle dog team will step in and help to accurately identify the buried persons, maintaining their human dignity even in death. The dogs are trained to find dead people who could be victims of violent crime, whose bodies are hidden in forests or river banks. Our young handlers are also excited about this new project and we hope to train another batch”. It was time to say goodbye and Coco followed us to the exit. This amazing new venture by the Commando Regiment will be a remarkable service, in future natural disaster rescue management.