Pouch rats to the rescue
A landmine-detecting rat in Cambodia has set a new world record to become the first rodent to uncover more than 100 mines and other deadly war remnants. Ronin, an African giant pouched rat, has uncovered 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance since 2021, charity Apopo, which trains the animals, said in a statement. Cambodia remains littered with millions of unexploded munitions following about 20 years of civil war that ended in 1998. The Guinness Book of World Records said that Ronin’s “crucial work” is making a real difference to people who have had to live with the “fear that one misstep while going about their day-to-day lives could be their last.” Apopo, which is based in Tanzania, currently has 104 rodent recruits, or HeroRATS, as the non-profit likes to call them. The rats are trained to sniff out chemicals that are found in landmines and other weapons abandoned on battlefields. Because of their small size, the rats are not heavy enough to detonate the mines. The rats can check an area the size of a tennis court in about 30 minutes, the charity says, whereas a human with a metal detector might take four days to clear the same land. They can also detect tuberculosis, an infectious disease that commonly affects the lungs, far quicker than it would be found in a lab using conventional microscopy, Apopo says.
Not all heroes wear capes. These rats wear collars as they perform all sorts of important tasks, such as sniffing out illegally trafficked drugs and animals. Rats can be stationed at shipping ports and lifted up to the vents of shipping crates by little rat elevators. “Those shipping crates are really big and it takes a lot of effort and labor … to get those open,” said Inserra. “So the fact that they can just work on their target scent, detecting it just through the vent … that’s a great way to save time and be more efficient.” It takes about one year to train each rat to detect unexploded landmines Ronin’s impressive work in Cambodia’s northern Preah Vihear province has surpassed the previous record held Magawa, a rat who sniffed out 71 mines and was presented with a gold medal for his heroism in 2020.
Since Apopo’s work began 25 years ago, the organization has cleared 169,713 landmines and other explosives worldwide – more than 52,000 have been in Cambodia. The charity also works in other countries affected by war, including Ukraine, South Sudan and Azerbaijan. There are still an estimated four to six million landmines and other exploded munitions buried in Cambodia, according to the Landmine Monitor. More than 60 million people in 59 countries continue to be threatened by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
What do I smell?
What did the left eye say to the right eye?
Something smells between us.
Researchers have recently started using lawyers instead of rats in their lab experiments.
You don’t get so attached to them and there are some things a rat just won’t do.
# How did Mary Poppins cure smelly feet?
Step in thyme.
Baby rat and mommy rat were walking down a dirt road when a bat flies by
Baby rat turns to his mom and says:
-Look ma, an angel.
September 25th Birthdays
1947 – Cheryl Tiegs, 1969 – Catherine Zeta Jones, 1930 – Barbara Walters, 1962 – Heather Locklear
1951- Mark Hamill, 1965 – Scottie Pippen, 1944 – Michael Douglas, 1968 – Will Smith