The United States government has said it will no longer send explosive-detecting dogs to Jordan and Egypt after a number of animals were found dead due to negligence, reported Reuters.
“Any death of a canine in the field is an extremely sad event and we will take every measure possible to prevent this from happening in the future,” a US state department spokesman told reporters on Monday.
The spokesperson said that the dogs “play a critical role in our CT (counter-terrorism) efforts overseas and in saving American lives.”
The decision came after the State Department’s Office of Inspector General got the information about the deaths of two dogs sent to Jordan in September, one of heatstroke and another of poisoning from insecticide sprayed in or near the kennel. The report said that deaths could have been avoided with better care as they were due to negligence and improper care and not accidental.
The September report found that three of the 10 dogs sent to Egypt under the program also died, one of lung cancer, one from a ruptured gall bladder and the other from heatstroke.
There are some 135 dogs are in the Antiterrorism Assistance Program, which helps eight countries with border and aviation security.
The State Department official told reporters that the dogs already working in Jordan and Egypt will remain there while U.S. authorities demand steps to be taken to improve the animals’ living conditions and handling.
“We concur with the OIG recommendations to cease temporarily providing additional canines to Jordan and Egypt until those countries implement our requirements to ensure the canines’ health and welfare,” the State Department official said.
The December report has urged US officials to check for more ways to monitor the sniffer dogs. For instance, in Egypt, US officials are not allowed access to the kennels or the airport where the animals are deployed.
