They may make your skin crawl, but these rats are saving lives in Cambodia.
The
giant rats are being used to sniff out landmines in the war-torn
country, where there are as many as three million mines still scattered
across the countryside.
Once
trained to sniff out TNT, the rats can do a job in 20 minutes that
would take a human mine detector five days, and for a fraction of the
cost.
Hard at work: A team of giant rats has been trained to sniff out TNT in
Cambodia, where there are an estimated three million mines still
scattered across the country
Rewarded: When the rats find a mine, they scratch and squeak to signal their discovery and are rewarded with a mouthful of fruit
War-torn: Since 1979, more than 19,000 Cambodians have been killed and
more than 45,000 injured by mines and other unexploded ordnance
Trained at a
research centre in Tanzania, the rats – which have been dubbed
‘hero-rats’ – have already been successfully deployed in parts of
Africa, such as Angola and Mozambique.
A team of 10 has now been sent to Cambodia, where they are getting used to the climate and undergoing performance tests.
James Pursey, communications director for the Belgian anti-mining NGO Apopo, said: ‘They are still a bit skittish.
‘This is also the first time many of the trainers have worked with such big rats, so we are easing everyone into it slowly.’
When
the rats discover a mine they communicate their find by scratching and
squeaking, and are rewarded with a mouthful of fruit.
The rats are kept on harnesses and slide along a rope line held between two trainers, while carrying out the searches.
The African
giant pouched rat – which can grow up to three-foot long – is a
relatively calm and sociable animal that enjoys repetitive tasks and can
live up to eight years.
Although it has poor sight, its keen sense of smell and intelligence makes it ideal for the job.
As
it is so light, it does not detonate pressure-activated landmines that
normally require three times their weight to set them off
Perfect for the job: Although their eye-sight is poor, the rats have an
excellent sense of smell and are highly intelligent. It is also light
enough to not detonate the mines
Success: The team of rats has already proved highly successful in
Mozambique, where they have detected nearly 2,500 mines as well as more
than 14,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance
Landmines
are a constant threat in Cambodia, particularly along the border with
Thailand where there are an estimated two to three million of them.
Since 1979, mines and unexploded ordnance have killed more than 19,000 Cambodians and injured more than 45,000.
Eight people have already been killed by mines in the country this year.
In
Mozambique, the rats have so far detected nearly 2,500 mines as well as
more than 14,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance, small arms and
ammunition, left over by the country’s 1990s civil war.
Performance tests: The rats have been sent to Cambodia where they are
getting used to the climate and undergoing performance tests
