Vogosca, BosnieHerzégovine, Sept 26 (AFP/APP):With her nose in the grass of a Bosnian field, Orna sniffs furiously until she finds her target. She then sits and wags her tail in excitement for the red rubber toy that is her reward. The exercise is only a game for the two-year-old dog, but the mine-detection skill is saving lives in Bosnia and around the world. The Balkan state, still working to rid its territory of landmines dating back to its 1990s war, has become an important training ground for canines deployed as far afield as Asia, Africa and the Middle East. At the end of Bosnia’s 1992-95 conflict, some eight percent of its territory was littered with explosives.  Today, experts believe it is down to two percent, thanks in part to the work of the dogs, who have learned the trade at two centres backed by US and Norwegian NGOs. Orna, a black and brown Belgian Malinois, is undergoing her schooling at the global training centre of the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in a suburb of Sarajevo. She is among 40 dogs from the hard-working breed currently in training, while 30 other “veterans” are “enjoying their well-deserved retirement”, said Gordana Medunjanin, who … Continue reading A life-saving ‘game’: Bosnia trains world’s mine-detecting dogs