Combating African swine fever (ASF) – training and deployment in 2022

One year of ASP cadaver testing teams Baden-Württemberg in the TCRH

Why ASF cadaver trials?

In the event of an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), the search for wild boars that have died from the disease is an important part of animal disease control. There is a lot of infectious virus material in the carcasses and their surroundings, which can infect other wild boars and spread the disease. The carcasses of dead wild boars must therefore be found and disposed of as quickly as possible. The cadaver tests with specially trained human-dog teams have proven very effective. For this purpose, emergency services such as cadaver search teams, managers and drone teams are trained at the TCRH Mosbach on behalf of the MLR Baden-Württemberg.

MLR commissions TCRH with education and training for “ASP cadaver tests”

The TCRH Training Center Rescue and Help was dated Ministry of Rural Areas, Nutrition and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg (MLR) tasked with training the cadaver testing teams and making them available for search missions. In the event of an outbreak of African swine fever, authorities combating animal diseases can commission the TCRH to provide the full range of specialist advisors, operational section managers, search dog teams, drone specialists and hunting companions for the search area. Operational management within the framework of this sovereign mandate is carried out according to the principles of authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS organizations).

The education and training offers are free of charge for the participants; all training materials, accommodation, meals and mileage are paid for. An additional expense allowance will be paid for assignments.

The project is technically carried out by Hunting Dog Association (JGHV) and the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs e.V. (BRH) carried.

All information about the project is below asp.tcrh.de a DAK Bungalow.

Sighting of humans and dogs

After intensive project planning and preparation, the first viewing events for ASP cadaver testing teams took place in February 2022 at the TCRH in Mosbach. The dog handlers who had already applied with their dogs to be part of the cadaver testing team were invited.

During the screening, they were assessed by a team of experienced rescue and service dog handlers at various stations to determine their constitution, motivation and personal requirements.

Over the last few months, over 120 human-dog teams have been tested for their suitability as a cadaver test team at a total of seven inspections and, with a few exceptions, have been classified as trainable. Another 60 teams will follow at the viewing events in spring 2023.

The now almost 200 applicants come primarily from the ranks of hunters/forestry and the rescue dog sector. But there are also dog handlers who have not yet completed any special training with their dog and would now like to get involved in carcass testing.

Anyone interested in the cadaver experiments can contact: asp.tcrh.de apply as a search team with your dog.

Suitability of dog and handler for the carcass search

Passion, off-road mobility, fitness and obedience (on the game and when following the instructions of the operational management) are expected from both people and dogs. The dog should also have good nose performance and reliable display behavior. The dog handler should be flexible in terms of time. Experience in blue light organizations, animal/medical qualifications or a hunting license are desirable, but not a requirement for participation.

Education and training: Extensive offerings from the TCRH

The technical support of the training and deployment concept is carried out by the BRH Federal Association of Search & Rescue Dogs e.V. and Hunting Dog Association (JGHV) e.v. Within the BRH, both the training department with the “odor differentiation” department and the deployment department are nationally integrated.

A basic distinction is made between training for dog handlers/dogs and the additional functions of specialist advisor, platoon leader, operations section leader, group leader and search party helper. The aim is to train a search team consisting of a dog handler, dog, search team helper and, if necessary, a hunting companion to be operational.

Basically, this is done on BRH training and deployment structures many BRH squadrons provide managers and operational resources for this purpose. A total of 15 BRH instructors from all over Germany take particular care of the cynological area within the framework of viewing, education, training and practice events:

• Silvia Allgaier, BRH rescue dog team Breisgau-Ortenau,
• Christine Behninger, BRH rescue dog team South Westphalia,
• Elena Brill, BRH rescue dog team South Westphalia,
• Björn Frenzen, BRH rescue dog team South Westphalia,
• Claudia Gries, BRH rescue dog team South Westphalia,
• Marion and Hans Hermann, BRH rescue dog team Oberland,
• Martina Ristau, BRH rescue dog team Zollernalb and
• Alina Willius, BRH rescue dog team South Westphalia.

There are also the trainers from the national deployment department, who are responsible for human training. Ideally, the members of a search team have at least one dual function in order to keep availability for animal disease control as variable as possible.

The TCRH office ensures the administrative mapping of all training and deployment measures.

The education and training takes place both in central/decentralized face-to-face events and with the support of online learning platforms and online lecture hall software systems.

The first course started in March, in which 20 motivated dog handlers learned over three weekends under the competent guidance of dedicated trainers how to train their dogs to smell and detect wild boar carcasses. Between the individual training and examination dates, individual regional trainers met with the participants to deepen the knowledge they had acquired and to work on the specific requirements of the individual dog or participant.

In addition, the dog handlers were trained in areas such as wild boar behavior, technical aids, orientation in the terrain and search tactics. A big thank you goes to Michael Höll (BRH Rescue Dog Squadron Heidenheim) and Michael Müller (BRH Rescue Dog Squadron Oberland) from the BRH National Operations Department for creating the face-to-face and online teaching units. There was also a first aid course with additional elements tactical medicine implemented for the participants by the teachers and trainers of the TCRH Mosbach.

Regardless of the topics mentioned above, the cynological trainers in particular understood that a very diverse interdisciplinary exchange took place that not only related to the current training topics: rescue dog specialists and hunters learned from each other, full-time and volunteer dog handlers exchanged information about requirements and, for some, individual ones If a dog or person had a problem, a team-oriented solution was found.

The qualification of drone search teams is particularly important. In the Competence Center for Technical Location of the TCRH Under the leadership of Thomas Kälber (BRH Northern Black Forest Rescue Dog Squadron), head of the drone department at the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs, existing and future drone teams from the areas of disaster control, emergency services, hunting and rescue dogs will be examined Hardware, software, flight planning, aerial photo evaluation and legal basics trained.

Further courses (weekend courses and one-week compact courses) followed in May, July/August and October. A total of 72 cadaver testing teams were trained in the first year of the project.

For participants who want to qualify as part of their voluntary work in the area of ​​ASP: Training time can be applied for in Baden-Württemberg for the training. Further information on this can be found at bildungzeit.tcrh.de

Examination regulations and quality assurance concept

At the end of the basic training, the teams were able to demonstrate what they had learned in the so-called “green test”.

In close cooperation with the training department of the BRH and the JGHV, a... Examination regulations created in which the carcass test teams are tested at different test/difficulty levels (green, yellow, red) to determine their operational capability in the event of an epidemic. The examination is carried out by performance judges from the BRH and JGHV.

The Red Test is the highest and most demanding level. This has now been passed by seven cadaver testing teams.

Together with the green and yellow tested dogs, 84 cadaver test dogs will be available to search for the ASF epidemic in Baden-Württemberg after the first year of the project has been completed.

The testing of the dogs is supplemented by the operational review of the entire search team. Emphasis is placed on correct search tactics, orientation in the terrain and the use of technical equipment when searching and marking the locations of carcasses.

The emergency services are trained according to the principles of the Civil Protection Service Regulation 100 (DV 100).

Multi-layered public relations work

Many different authorities and interest groups are involved in the ASF epidemic. To ensure that they are familiar with the TCRH's ASP cadaver test dog project, several information events were held. These are organized by the project coordinator Christina Jehle.

Representatives of the veterinary authorities were informed about the cadaver experiments with dogs and the TCRH's service for the authorities in the event of an epidemic at events organized by the veterinary profession and at two veterinary days at the TCRH.

Several events related to the project were also offered to hunters. The 200 or so participants in the online lectures came from all over Germany and Switzerland. At information events organized by Focus Animal Welfare and ASP competence teams The TCRH cadaver tests were also presented.

The project was also presented at the Lower Austrian Hunting Dog Summit and was represented at the State Forestry Administration's stand at the main agricultural festival.

Representatives were present at the districts' epidemic exercises Search and drone teams of the TCRH on site and impressively demonstrated the organization and process of the cadaver tests.

As part of the operation during the ASF outbreak in Forchheim (Baden-Württemberg, Emmendingen district), an information sheet was created for those affected by hunting rights and the carcass tests were explained at the hunters' association's information event.

A flyer with all the important key points about the ASP cadaver test dog project can be requested from the TCRH for public relations purposes.

First ASF outbreak in Baden-Württemberg

Shortly after completing the second course in May, the Ascension Day officially took place First ASF outbreak in Baden-Württemberg confirmed in a free-range farm of domestic pigs in Forchheim (LK Emmendingen).

Since it was not clear at the time how the disease got into the herd (through human error or from outside through infected wild boars), the TCRH carcass testing teams were requested. Their job was to search the surrounding forests for dead wild boars. Under sometimes the most adverse conditions (extreme heat and very rough, thorny terrain), over 20 teams searched over 1.160 hectares of land over four weekends with eleven days of operation. They were complemented by four drone teams in the open fields. These covered 244 hectares in 50 flights in 4.160 hours of flight time. Fortunately for everyone involved, the searches were all unsuccessful and no wild boars that died of ASF were found.

In the course of this deployment, important experience and knowledge was gained, which will be taken into account in future training courses and training courses for authorities.

The first year of the project: findings

The training of cadaver testing dogs is very extensive and complex. It requires a high level of motivation, commitment and willingness to perform from everyone involved (dog handlers, trainers and dogs). The trainers have always succeeded brilliantly in adapting to the different human-dog teams and finding the right training paths for everyone. At this point, a big thank you to the competent team of trainers under the training manager Kai-Uwe Gries (BRH Rescue Dog Squadron South Westphalia, head of the odor differentiation department at the BRH Federal Association of Rescue Dogs e.V.)!

It's great to see how quickly the dogs learn to react to the smell of the carcass. In further steps, this reaction can then be developed into a reliable display (by barking, staying put or fetching) when searching freely in the forest, but this requires a lot of hard work, tact and good timing from the dog handlers.

The mixed composition of the course participants from hunters and rescue dog handlers was received very positively, as each group was able to benefit from the different knowledge, experiences and training methods of the others and gain new ideas.

Following the courses, regional exercise groups were formed and are continually being expanded. This ensures the regular training that the teams need to expand and maintain their operational capability.

The feedback from participants on the courses was consistently positive and confirms the shared path of TCRH, BRH and JGHV.

A survey of the other federal states underlines the nationwide pioneering role of the project, especially in the number of operational cadaver testing teams as well as in the comprehensive, competent organization of the areas of training and deployment through a blue light organization.

Fortunately, Minister MdL Peter Hauk has asked the municipal council and the Baden-Württemberg city council to support applications from certified ASP dog handlers for a waiver of their dog tax from their municipalities and thereby support the great voluntary commitment of the volunteer dog handlers in combating animal diseases.

Outlook for next year

There will be at least six next year too Viewing events and four training courses at the TCRH Mosbach. Advanced seminars on orientation in the terrain, searching from the water and in wild boar enclosures are held for teams that have already been trained. In addition, will First aid courses for dogs offered.

Another veterinary day for authorities representatives is in collaboration with the MLR as well as the ASP competence team scheduled for February 03rd.

There will be one on Sunday, March 05th Training for drone pilots from the rescue dog sector, the hunters, the district offices and other blue light organizations for the ASF cadaver tests.

An open day is also being planned on May 06th for representatives of hunters and hunting dogs, where the training method for the carcass trials will be presented.

Additionally, the TCRH teams will be deployed in various counties as part of the nationwide animal disease exercise in April 2023.

Furthermore, additional education and training offers for hunting companions as well as drone teams are created and implemented.

Dates 2023

• 07.01. until January 08.01.2023th, XNUMX first aid course
• 14.01.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX Sighting
• January 15.01.2023, XNUMX sighting
• 22.01.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX  Sighting
• 23.01/29.01.2023 to XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX weekly course 
• 28.01.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX Sighting
• 30.01/05.02.2023 to XNUMX/XNUMX/XNUMX weekly course
• February 03.02.2023rd, XNUMX Veterinarian Day / Authorities Day
• March 05.03.2023, XNUMX Drone workshop for emergency services
• 15.04.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX Sighting
• April 15.04th until April 16.04.2023, XNUMX weekend course
• April 29.04th until April 30.04.2023, XNUMX weekend course
• May 06.05.2023th, XNUMX Open day at TCRH Mosbach on the topic of ASF
• April 20.05th until April 21.05.2023, XNUMX weekend course
• 16.10/22.10 until 2023. XNUMX weekly course
• 21.10.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX Sighting

Further information

(For reasons of readability, the male and female forms are used alternately)