Swiss canines deployed in Germany to find bodies of flood victims
The team heading to Germany includes three dogs trained to find cadavers and one that can sniff out those who are still alive and their belongings.
REDOG
A Swiss dog team specialised in searching for cadavers will be deployed in Germany following the devastating floods.
On Saturday, a dog team left for the German town of Dernau in the Ahr Valley, where floods caused enormous devastation two weeks ago and claimed many lives. REDOG, the Swiss Association for Search and Rescue Dogs, said the team will search for missing persons in cooperation with German dog teams.
“It is important to be there and to support the relatives,” said Linda Hornisberger, head of the REDOG search team. The goal is to find the bodies of the victims so that their relatives can say goodbye to their loved ones, according to a REDOG statement.
Four dog handlers and their dogs, as well as two logistics specialists make up the Swiss contingent. They have been on standby since the beginning of the bad weather in Germany. The deployment of the Swiss team will last several days, according to spokesperson Dagmar Wurzbacher. Cadaver search dogs are used after natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides or building collapses.
REDOG is also the rescue organisation of the Red Cross and finances interventions from its own funds raised through the support of donors.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
AI can reduce the number of animals needed for research
This content was published on
Swiss researchers have developed a new, AI-supported method that analyses the behaviour of mice in the laboratory more efficiently.
Geneva Conventions conference on Middle East scheduled for March 2025
This content was published on
The conference on the Middle East of the 196 States party to the Geneva Conventions, organised by Switzerland, will take place in Geneva in March.
Swiss university graduates are popular hires worldwide
This content was published on
Graduates of Swiss universities are popular with international employers, according to the Global Employability University Rankings.
French cross-border workers in Switzerland fear ‘discriminatory’ unemployment reform
This content was published on
In the French region around Geneva, cross-border workers are protesting proposals to cut unemployment benefits for those working in Switzerland.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Rescue dogs team up with drones to save lives
This content was published on
The drones will be equipped with night vision and thermal cameras to spot people in distress. The dog handlers and dogs will then be directed to the spot to rescue those in need. “We have already tested the dog-drone combination during our last three operations and we are now ready,” Romaine Kuonen, president of Redog,…
This content was published on
Vali Meier skis off down the slope with canine colleague Woopy on his shoulders. Woopy is part of a long tradition of Swiss avalanche dogs.
This content was published on
Dogs are also being trained this way in other countries. In Germany, tests have found that they can perform this task with a 94% success rate. This is because Covid-19 causes human body cells to change their odour. The Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) group has started its own trial programme, reports the Tages Anzeiger newspaperExternal link.…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.