Soldiers deployed abroad are often exposed to unexpected dangers. In addition to military risks, other unforeseen threats also await the armed forces abroad – more specifically, animals as a potential source of danger. Today, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Director General of the Natural History Museum Katrin Vohland, together with experts, presented the joint research projects on “Dangerous Fauna”.
The project series of the Austrian Armed Forces (ÖBH) and the Natural History Museum (NHM) draws attention to animal dangers. To this end, the experts have created a database for soldiers on deployment. The project was completed for the North African theater of operations at the end of 2020 and is now being extended to Central Africa. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner: “The cooperation for this research project benefits our soldiers and ensures greater safety during deployments abroad. Projects like these show how important it is for the Austrian Armed Forces to think outside the box and work together with experts from other research institutions.”
Director General NHM Katrin Vohland: “Armed forces soldiers are deployed on behalf of the UN and the EU in countries such as Kosovo and Bosnia, as well as in Lebanon, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Western Sahara, Senegal, Mali and Chad. There they not only face unfamiliar living conditions and military security risks, but also biological ones in the form of scorpions, poisonous snakes, intestinal worms and mosquitoes. Assessing these risks and avoiding them as far as possible and being able to do the right thing in the event of damage has been supported for years by the creation of databases and manuals by the Natural History Museum Vienna. We are delighted that this collaboration is continuing.” Database helps in dealing with exotic animals
The experts from the Institute of Military Geology and the Natural History Museum have compiled a database on the distribution of dangerous animal species, especially in North, West and East Africa, as well as the danger posed by the animals (e.g. poisonous snake bites). This data is intended to help military personnel abroad to correctly classify the risk and develop an awareness of how to deal with exotic animal species. Furthermore, the information is linked to basic data such as topographical maps, infrastructure, demographic data and meteorological geo-information. The data sets can then be used quickly and efficiently to prepare for deployment. Project partners since 2012
The NHM and ÖBH have been working together on this project series since 2012. A total of six projects worth 330,475 euros have been completed under the leadership of the WFE (Science, Research and Development) department of the BMLV. The “Dangerous fauna” project series initially started with the pilot project “Dangerous fauna in Lebanon” before being extended to Africa in 2016. Fatal snake bites
The relevance of this information is illustrated by the following examples: injuries and poisoning caused by mammals and reptiles, such as poisonous snakes, play an important role in many African countries. Venomous snake bites can lead to paralysis, bleeding, muscle spasms or necrosis, tissue damage, heart problems and, as a result, death. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 435,000 to 580,000 snake bites in humans on the African continent alone every year, of which around 20,000 cases are fatal.
