When Finya and Monte are allowed to go out into the countryside, they are in their element. The two three-year-old dogs are Cocker Spaniel/Springer Spaniel crossbreeds and specialize in tracking protected species. With their good sense of smell, the species protection dogs help speed up Deutsche Bahn (DB) construction projects. Because whenever and wherever the railway builds something, it must first be investigated whether the site is a potential habitat for protected animals.
For the construction of the second S-Bahn trunk line, a total of six dogs sniffed the superficial route in sections for sand lizards and smooth snakes. Where trees have to be felled or buildings demolished, the four-legged friends also look for bats. If the dogs find what they are looking for, the reptiles and bats have to be relocated. DB is creating special compensation areas for this.
Until now, people had to search an area for up to a year to protect species. Then the biologist Michael Schmitt, DB team leader for species mapping and environmental protection and immission control, had the idea that sniffer dogs could also be used in the search. He had the idea when he observed a colleague in South Tyrol who was using his dog to examine bird breeding grounds.
The dogs have been in action for the past year. With them, detecting a particular species is a matter of hours. With their 220 million olfactory cells – ten times as many as in an adult human – they can, for example, sniff out lizard eggshells, faeces or discarded skins. They were trained intensively for a year. There are now three more dogs in training at DB, four puppies in pre-training.
On target: sniffer dog Finya has discovered the scent bait.
(Photo: Mark Siaulys Pfeiffer)
The trainers use a so-called Scent Box for this. This is a metal box in which specific scents are placed. The dogs learn to sniff out holes in the box.
On the field west of the Donnersbergerbrücke, the dog handlers demonstrate the special skills of their animals. Maximilian Bültge puts a plastic scent bait in the high grass and when he gives the instruction to search, Finya gets to work wagging her tail. After a few seconds she has found the bait, sits down in front of it and fixes on the spot.
In an emergency, Finya and the other dogs in the area of the main line look for the strictly protected sand lizards, which often feel quite comfortable in sunny locations near the railway tracks. After 20 minutes the demonstration is over. A longer deployment, says Bültge, is too exhausting for the animals.