Support APOPO's Minefield Survey HeroDOGs

Hello and welcome to your last report on your support of the HeroDOGs for 2025!

In the last quarter, our HeroDOGs’ teams around the world remained busy, thanks to your incredible support of their work.

In Ukraine, we have been collecting stories from the dog handlers there, and we recently shared a behind-the-scenes video featuring Daryna and her two dogs, Khai and Charlie.

Daryna speaks about the personalities of Khai and Charlie and the strong bond she shares with them. Watching Khai respond to her commands, it’s clear their trust and connection drive his consistency and focus.

You’ll also see Khai’s playful side during a well-earned break — full of energy, curiosity, and joy. Every step he takes helps make land safe again, and your support plays a direct role in that impact.

You can actually officially adopt Khai and support his work in Ukraine directly. To find out more, simply click here. As one of Khai’s adopters, you’ll love seeing him in action — focused, alert, and thriving in his work.

In other Ukraine news, APOPO Head Dog trainer Ibro and the latest group of handlers and dogs undergoing training have completed the TSD-MDD (Technical Survey Dog-Mine Detection Dog) Handler Course in Ukraine!

Over the three-month course, these handlers demonstrated outstanding skill and commitment in both theoretical and practical training, preparing them to work effectively with Technical Survey Dogs (TSDs) and Mine Detection Dogs (MDDs) in operational settings.

This achievement is a key milestone in ensuring safe and efficient landmine detection, helping communities rebuild with confidence. This was made possible with support from UNDP Ukraine, the Swiss Government, partner MAG (Mines Advisory Group), and thanks to supporters like you. Thank you!

Meanwhile, in Cambodia, despite the Thailand/Cambodia conflict, our HeroDOGs continue their important work. For example, a team working at Koh Ker temple, which is not only an active clearance site but is also one of Cambodia’s most important historical landmarks, is being cleared of landmines and unexploded ordnance. In September 2023, Koh Ker was officially recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, cementing its status as a national treasure and drawing renewed attention to the need to preserve it.

Surrounding the temple complex, however, is a landscape still affected by landmines and other explosive remnants of war. These hidden dangers make daily life risky for local families and stand in the way of fully opening the area to cultural tourism and conservation. Through your support of the HeroDOGs, you are helping change that.

Now that other APOPO teams have relocated from the conflict zones to join APOPO’s HeroDOGs working in the Koh Ker area, our collective efforts are accelerating. The clearance work is not only helping protect a UNESCO-listed site, but also bringing new opportunities for the local community, from farming and construction to tourism.

The transformation of this once-dangerous ground is made possible by HeroDOGs and the human team that backs their work, alongside supporters like you.

Thank you so much for your continued support of APOPO’s HeroDOGs. Thanks to you, we are safely returning safe land and freeing communities in Ukraine and Cambodia.

Links:

• HeroDOGs website