# Rats Clear Landmines



## 3rd Herd (20 Mar 2007)

Just when you thought you new everything a new kernal of knowledge puts you back in place. Watching the "Amazing Race" the other night I was astouned to see rats performing the work of demining dogs. So doing a quick google search here it is:

Rats to the Rescue: Sniffing Out Bombs 

By Catherine Clarke Fox
National Geographic Kids News
July 26, 2005
In the African country of Tanzania, a company from Belgium called APOPO trains African giant pouched rats to find dangerous land mines left over from wars. The rats are trained to sniff out some of the chemicals in these weapons. 

Land mines are buried bombs that explode when someone walks on them or something presses them. The mines are designed for wars, but often injure and kill people going about their daily lives.  Giant pouched rats start their training when they are five weeks old. After 8 to 12 months of training, the rats can find mines so they can be safely destroyed. The rats also sniff out grenades and bullets while the animals are on patrol. 

Trained dogs often perform this important work, but APOPO director Bart Weetjens recently discovered that the African giant pouched rat costs far less money to train and care for. These rats may seem huge. Their bodies are 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 centimeters) long, not including their tails. But their size suits the job: At one and a half to 3 pounds (0.7 to 1.5 kilograms), they are too light to set off the land mines. 

Rats and trainers search one small area at a time. To be sure that every inch of ground is checked, APOPO workers use a harness-and-rope system that guides the rats back and forth in rows. The trainer stands safely on the edge of the area. When a rat smells explosives, it signals by pawing at the dirt in that spot. The trainers mark each spot on a map. Later, technicians explode the mines safely. 

In the African country of Mozambique, nearly half the population is younger than 15 years old. A lot of kids are in danger as they play or do chores. "In the town of Vilanculos, children had been playing on the soccer field, until there was an accident," Bart Weetjens said. 
APOPO rats and trainers helped other organizations make the area safe. "The soccer field has been opened again, and there is no threat any more," Weetjens said. About 80 million land mines are buried out of sight in more than 60 countries around the world. As APOPO's program grows, the rat heroes might travel the globe! 

Edit to Add:

Rats for landmine detection

Compared to dogs or mechanical sensors rats have many potential advantages. They have a highly developed olfactory organ, they are small and as such, easily transported and accommodated. A rat kennel can be relatively small and still facilitate a high number of rats: 20-30 rats can easily be transported in one car. Second- or third-generation rats that have been socialized are friendly and easy to respond to for humans. More specifically, African Giant Pouched Rats are endemic in Africa and resistant to most tropical diseases. Another advantage they offer is that they are easy to breed and train due to their explorative behaviour and good search motivation. Another asset is their ability to remain concentrated for longer periods of time. And finally, they are trained on food reward and as such do not bond to an individual handler, so that in an operational stage, one handler could deal with many rats consecutively.


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## Mike Baker (20 Mar 2007)

Just when you thought you heard it all....Very interesting though.


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## I_am_John_Galt (20 Mar 2007)

I saw that show ... never heard of using rats to detect mines before... assuming it works as well as it appears, it's brilliant (the show is cool, too).


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## warspite (20 Mar 2007)

Now this is thinking outside the box.


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## Spirit of the Sixties (20 Mar 2007)

I watched that too (guilty pleasure reality TV  :-[). So this is real, I mean not something that they just dreamed up for the show? If so it seemed really practical I guess.


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## geo (20 Mar 2007)

well.... guess we can tell the Poles that we no longer need their services - having been replaced by a bunch of African rats!

There will be riots in the streets of Warsaw
The Poles will burn the African rat's embassy (the sewers)
 ohhhh - there will be diplomatic hell to pay for this one 

 :dontpanic:   :deadhorse:  :dontpanic:


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## Hawk (20 Mar 2007)

Your next deployment-peace keeping in the sewers of Warsaw   ;D


Hawk


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## mckee19 (21 Mar 2007)

there filthy critters, would rather see one of them blown up then a dog or a human
very interesting, probably alot more training involved to teach a rat to sniff out chemicals in these landmines


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## Hawk (21 Mar 2007)

I just found the  :dontpanic: smiley woohoo!!! Who's the hootoo fan? Do you chat on the website?

As for rats-can't stand them myself. But that's really interesting that they've found a useful job for them. 


Hawk


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## 3rd Herd (21 Mar 2007)

geo said:
			
		

> well.... guess we can tell the Poles that we no longer need their services - having been replaced by a bunch of African rats!
> 
> There will be riots in the streets of Warsaw
> The Poles will burn the African rat's embassy (the sewers)
> ...



Geo,
you just may end up with a new animal on your cap badge ;D

mckee19,

Rats clean themselves up to 17 times a day. They are a lot cleaner than some other animals we keep as pets. As for the smell, male rats are incontinent. By leaving that little trail of urine behind they can find their way back, mark territory and know if an intruder is in their territory. Also helps the female to get a little lovin. Also judging from the articles out there (try searching google: Landmine Rats) there are numerous reasons why they are better in some circumstances than the demining dogs.


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## Spirit of the Sixties (27 Mar 2007)

I also wonder though if the public misconception on rats, dirty ugly, plague carriers et cetera is a factor in why they are chosen over dogs as well as the superior sense of smell. I mean people would be upset if a dog was killed more than they would a rat right.

Or maybe it’s just simple economics. I mean which is cheaper.


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## mckee19 (27 Mar 2007)

Spirit of the Sixties said:
			
		

> I also wonder though if the public misconception on rats, dirty ugly, plague carriers et cetera is a factor in why they are chosen over dogs as well as the superior sense of smell. I mean people would be upset if a dog was killed more than they would a rat right.
> 
> Or maybe it’s just simple economics. I mean which is cheaper.


i think its both the fact people would be more upset if a dog was killed then a rat and that they are much cheaper. i mean if a rat can do the job just as good if not better let them do it.


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## geo (27 Mar 2007)

people are more upset if people detonate bombs.

Dogs are nice, rates are.... rats


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## mckee19 (27 Mar 2007)

geo said:
			
		

> people are more upset if people detonate bombs.
> 
> Dogs are nice, rates are.... rats



good point, anything detonating a bomb but a human would be alright with me


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## geo (27 Mar 2007)

Esp if the alternative to sending in the dogs is...... you


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## reccecrewman (29 Mar 2007)

Well how do you like that? After thousands of years of bringing us disease and annoyance, we finally find a practical use for the disease infested critters.........


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## GAP (29 Mar 2007)

reccecrewman said:
			
		

> Well how do you like that? After thousands of years of bringing us disease and annoyance, we finally find a practical use for the disease infested critters.........



Hey Hey!! it's not their fault....The conservatives cancelled the "Save a Rat" program....so they are at fault.!!


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## Juvat (29 Mar 2007)

I can see the recruiting drives starting in all major cities due to increase demands on their services.

- "Join the service and see the world while making new friends"

- "We promise you free food upon completion of the mission"

-  "....oh and you risk getting blown up"


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## Blindspot (3 Apr 2007)

Would rats be heavy enough to detonate a mine, even while digging?


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## cameron (3 Apr 2007)

'bout time somebody put those vermin to good use, why not blow them up in the process and kill two birds with one stone?


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## 3rd Herd (3 Apr 2007)

Blindspot said:
			
		

> Would rats be heavy enough to detonate a mine, even while digging?



The methods currently used in mine clearance have drawbacks.

Metal detectors are very slow and tedious because they pick up every single metal fragment in a suspected minefield.

"The de-miner has to approach every little piece of garbage with the same caution that he has to approach a landmine, so you can imagine where that leaves you," Weetjens said.

Of the 26,000 pieces of metal detected so far on the minefield in Vilanculos, only 74 turned out to be landmines.

After World War Two dogs emerged as the most reliable detection method, able to sniff out even those mines buried 15 to 20 cm below ground, which a metal detector will miss.

The pouched rat combines a dog's nose without its bulk.

Growing to a maximum weight of 2.8 kilograms it can scamper around a minefield without the risk of detonating anti-personnel gadgets that can be triggered by its heavier canine colleague.

The rats are attached to little red harnesses and guided down the length of a 100-square-metre field by their trainer. When the rat hits on a suspected mine, it stops, sniffs and starts to scratch.


Source:

African rat sniffs out Mozambique landmines: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1282859.htm

Sniffer rats to find African mines http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3123119.stm

Why using rats?:  http://www.apopo.org/whyrats/


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## aesop081 (3 Apr 2007)

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> Metal detectors are very slow and tedious because they pick up every single metal fragment in a suspected minefield.



On my first tour, it got to the point where i started getting worried about mines when the mine detector STOPED beeping


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## Hawk (3 Apr 2007)

I had the opportunity to talk to an exterminator today - I have some interesting friends! We were talking about the rats detecting mines, and he said squirrels could do the same thing - but people *like* squirrels-unless you've had them in your house, or you were working in  downtown Winnipeg---4 summers ago (?), and witnessed the results of *The Great Squirrel Incident*.

I wasn't there, so this tale is second hand. There's a building right next to a Japanese garden with big trees in it, and its full of squirrels. The kids who work in the call centre in the building feed them. The story goes that a squirrel got into the electrical system and started snacking on wiring insulation, electrocuting himself, and shutting off the power to a good part of down town Winnipeg. The only people I ever found who were happy about the whole episode were the call center kids who got an unexpected day off!


Hawk


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## 3rd Herd (24 Jul 2007)

talk about "Battleschool"
The usual disclaimer:
Rats and cats work together in Colombia, sniffing out landmines
Published: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 | 7:33 PM ET
Canadian Press: CESAR GARCIA
For the past year, a special Colombian police unit has been locking rats in cages with cats as part of a project  to train the rodents to sniff out the more than 100,000 landmines planted mostly by leftist rebels across this conflict-racked Andean country.

Bringing the rats face to face with an enemy allows them to stay more focused once they are released, veterinarian Luisa Mendez, who's been working with the animals for two years, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The rodents are taught to freeze in front of mines, but had difficulty staying put for fear of being attacked by predators.

"Here the cats play with the rats instead of attacking them," Mendez said. "The cats wear shields on their nails so they can't cause any injuries and as a result the rats feel comfortable playing around them."

Col. Javier Cifuentes, who oversees the project, said the rats' success rate in mine detection is 96 per cent. Unlike dogs, the rats weigh a lot less and therefore don't trigger explosions.

Colombia is home to the world's largest number of landmine victims. Last year, there were 1,108 victims, or about one every eight hours, the government says. Nearly a quarter of the victims die from their injuries.


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## Hawk (24 Jul 2007)

I have this picture in my head of my cat in a cage with a rat, paws shielded, and her hissing, spitting, and growling, and trying her best to intimidate the rat while beating it senseless with her paws. What stops the cat, or the rat, for that matter, biting? Do they muzzle them? This I would have to see! Ever tried to give a PILL to a cat?   ;D

If letting cats and rats play together works, okay, and I have no basis to dispute it, except knowledge of how my own moggie operates. 


Hawk


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## geo (30 Jul 2007)

From a personal perspective, a cat needs no claw to "make it's mark".
My sister had a cat that was declawed.... AKA "FANG" - it still went outside & continuously brought home gifts... birds, field mice, etc...... (though it didn't climb trees all that well)


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## Hawk (30 Jul 2007)

Exactly! My moggie's a 'fraidie-cat, but she has growling hissie-fits if any other animal is within sight of her! I think my sympathy would be with the rat - he wouldnn't stand a chance!!


Hawk


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## 3rd Herd (30 Jul 2007)

Continuing somewhat off topic:
Picture 
A  Ferret being chased by a cat being chased by a Bouvier being chased by another Bouvier down a hallway into a bedroom.
Loud noises of collision and the hiss from........ :evil:
A Bouvier reappears hind legs going past it's ear; a second Bouvier bursts into sight heading for the sound barrier down the hallway, being piloted by the Ferret hanging on for dear life on it's back.
The cat appears and sits in the doorway and proceeds to clean her claws.


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## GK .Dundas (3 Aug 2007)

I'm  rather upset my the use of these poor  animals for this. could'nt we just use lawyers instead?


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## Bearpaw (4 Aug 2007)

Has anyone considered Chihuahua dogs for this role?  They are liight(2.5-4kg) and are probably a lot easier to train than rats!

Bearpaw


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## 3rd Herd (4 Aug 2007)

Bearpaw said:
			
		

> Has anyone considered Chihuahua dogs for this role?  They are liight(2.5-4kg) and are probably a lot easier to train than rats!
> 
> Bearpaw



No rats have better sense of smell, are smarter and can be trained quicker than dogs. They also reproduce quicker and are cheaper.


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## Mike Baker (4 Aug 2007)

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> No rats have better sense of smell, are smarter and can be trained quicker than dogs. They also reproduce quicker and are cheaper.


And Paris Hilton(or anyone else for that matter) won't care if a rat found a landmine by accident versus a chihuahua


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