How dogs are supposed to prevent the spread of swine fever

2023-04-29 19:15:00

This is intended to prevent the possible spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Austria. “She is at the gates of Austria,” said the Lower Austrian provincial hunter, Josef Proell, at a media event in the Federal Police Service Dog Center in Vienna-Strebersdorf. The Austria-wide pilot project was launched at the weekend.

Hunting dogs are supposed to sniff out carcasses

According to Proell, African swine fever is currently spreading from the east – via Russia, the Czech Republic and Hungary – in Europe. Lower Austria is expected to be the first federal state in which cases can be expected. It was therefore decided to cooperate with the Ministry of the Interior, it said. According to Proell, nine dogs from the state association – including hunters – will be trained by the police in Vienna for four months from April.

They first go through the course for police cadaver dogs. The hunting dogs learn the necessary techniques for finding wild boar carcasses. “Searching with hunting dogs has the advantage that they can search an area much faster than a human chain and that they cause less anxiety in the forest,” said Proell.

“Enormous risk for agriculture”

In Austria there is currently no case of ASF. “But the ASP poses an enormous risk for domestic agriculture,” added Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). According to the ministry, the long-term expansion of the project to all of Austria is planned.

ASF is harmless to dogs and humans, but is fatal in pigs between three and five days after the onset of symptoms. “It can be transmitted by sniffing and eating dead animal carcasses,” said the Lower Austrian state veterinarian Christina Riedl of the APA. ASF is also passed on through food. “Because the virus remains infectious in the meat for a very long time,” says Riedl. It can only be killed by very high temperatures lasting several minutes. “This is often not the rule in normal meat production.”

appeal to the population

The know-how acquired during the training should then be passed on by the dog handlers, emphasized Johannes Schiesser, the St. Pölten district hunting master responsible for hunting dog training. “The differences between police service dogs and hunting dogs are not great,” added Rudolf König, commander of the Vienna police service dog unit. The cooperation with the Lower Austrian Hunting Association is therefore an “extension of knowledge” for the police, according to König. The first nine dogs should be ready for action in the fall.

The costs for the training and the expenses are borne by the department for veterinary affairs of the province of Lower Austria, the other costs incurred are borne by the ministry and the hunting association. The hunting association also called on the population to report every wild boar that has died to the authorities. “The earlier an outbreak is detected, the sooner it can be contained,” it said.