https://en.sputniknews.africa/20231004/ratscuing-the-world-from-land-mines--1062535277.html
Rat Rescuers Tackle Land Mines
Rat Rescuers Tackle Land Mines
Sputnik Africa
It goes without saying that people can genuinely do a lot to help save animals. However, what about the opposite? Can animals help people to save human lives?.. 04.10.2023, Sputnik Africa
2023-10-04T21:01+0200
2023-10-04T21:01+0200
2023-10-10T12:52+0200
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'Rat'scuing The World From Land Mines
Sputnik Africa
It goes without saying that people can genuinely do a lot to help save animals. However, what about the opposite? Can animals help people to save human lives? Your AfroVerdict host sits down with a representative of a Tanzanian-based NGO to discuss how rats clear Sub-Saharan Africa of land mines.
The African giant pouched rat is "easily trained", "very sociable", "resistant ot tropical diseases" and "easy to care for", according to Ms. Lily Shallom, Communications Manager at APOPO, a Tanzania-based NGO.The rats start interacting with people "once they're opening their eyes", as that is the "first stage of their training". Further, "clicker training" – a system based on "positive reinforcement" – begins, during which the rats get a reward for "doing the correct action" when they find traces of TNT. APOPO has conducted mine clearing operations in Mozambique, Angola and Cambodia.To hear what else the company manager had to say, check out the entire episode of the AfroVerdict podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Podcast Addict and Afripods.► Check out all the episodes of AfroVerdict.
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tanzania, podcasts, mozambique, angola, rats, landmines, аудио
tanzania, podcasts, mozambique, angola, rats, landmines, аудио
Rat Rescuers Tackle Land Mines
21:01 04.10.2023 (Updated: 12:52 10.10.2023) Viktor Anokhin
Producer, Podcast host
It goes without saying that people can genuinely do a lot to help save animals. However, what about the opposite? Can animals help people to save human lives? Your AfroVerdict host sits down with a representative of a Tanzanian-based NGO to discuss how rats clear Sub-Saharan Africa of land mines.
The African giant pouched rat is "easily trained", "very sociable", "resistant ot tropical diseases" and "easy to care for", according to Ms. Lily Shallom, Communications Manager at APOPO, a Tanzania-based NGO.
"Most importantly, they're too light to set off the landmines. So it's perfectly safe for them to be on the minefields using their nose to detect explosives," she says.
The rats start interacting with people "once they're opening their eyes", as that is the "first stage of their training". Further, "clicker training" – a system based on "positive reinforcement" – begins, during which the rats get a reward for "doing the correct action" when they find traces of TNT.
"Once they're scratching at that tea egg that contains TNT, they hear a click and they get a reward. And this is teaching them how to indicate to us that they've found something. So in a real minefield, that's what the handlers are looking for, to indicate that the rat has found a landmine or some other explosives," Ms. Shallom explains.
APOPO has conducted mine clearing operations in Mozambique, Angola and Cambodia.
We were a full mine action operator in Mozambique, and we were there until 2015, which is when Mozambique was declared mine free," Ms. Shallom says.
To hear what else the company manager had to say, check out the entire episode of the AfroVerdict podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.
► Check out all the episodes of AfroVerdict. 
