Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe WALSRODE, Germany, May 17 (UPI) -- Police in Germany said they are experimenting with turkey vultures as an alternative to police dogs for finding dead bodies. Walsrode police said they hope Sherlock, a turkey vulture trained to track down the scene of gasses produced by decaying corpses, will become the first of a squadron of trained vultures seeking out bodies around the country, Britain's Daily Mail reported Monday. Advertisement Police said Sherlock is sent out on sniffing missions and tracked via a GPS device attached to his leg. "It was a colleague of mine who got the idea from watching a nature program," Officer Rainer Herrmann said. "If it works, time could be saved when looking for dead bodies because the birds can cover a much vaster area than sniffer dogs or humans." German Alonso, the bird trainer in charge of the program, said more birds are needed to make the program a success. "What we need now to make progress is a group working together as a team," he said.
