"Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land mine epidemic"

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"Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land min... - 9/8/2010 3:05:15 PM

Vendaval

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I have kept rats as pets previously and am impressed with this new use for their abilities.

Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land mine epidemic
By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN
September 8, 2010 8:40 a.m. EDT

"Upon study, the rats' advantages emerged.

Their olfactory senses are superb. They're native to Africa, so tropical disease is no problem, and they rarely weigh more than the 3 to 10 kilograms required to trip a mine, Bach said. It also helps that the mine-sniffing rats are not bonded to individual trainers or prone to ennui, as dogs are, he said.
"If you compare them to canine mine detectors, it's pretty much the same in terms of sensitivity and capability," Bach said, noting that dogs are better equipped to work in brush or high grass that might conceal a rat.

"Rats are not going to oust dogs in this industry, but it's a very positive complement," he added. "You could say they work for peanuts."
Indeed, said Weetjens, cost is especially an advantage in Africa. It takes limited skill and only six to eight months to train a rat -- or a year for the "slow" rats because "some rats are smarter than others," said trainer Mushi, who oversees 14 rats."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/09/07/herorats.detect.landmines/index.html?hpt=C2

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/8/2010 5:50:00 PM

JstAnotherSub

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That is a good story. Thanks for sharing it.

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/8/2010 6:04:05 PM

DesFIP

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A remarkable solution to a horrific problem. All the same, I hope never to come face to face with a rat that size.

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/8/2010 6:06:37 PM

thornhappy

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Now that's a creative solution! I wonder if they'll try this approach in Cambodia; maybe they could use a native rat there.

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/8/2010 8:20:31 PM

Outlier2

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Interesting Vendaval,

Thank you. Don't you just love creative people who can see
past the obvious and come up with new creative approaches to things.

Outlier

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/8/2010 10:09:34 PM

Vendaval

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Maybe we could use some of those big city sewer rats to sniff out drug labs? I hear they grow to the size of small dogs.

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/9/2010 5:41:50 AM

Owner59

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Great story!

It`s nice to hear something good and positive once in a while.

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/9/2010 8:48:30 AM

BoredAsHell

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that's a big freaking rat!! it's better than using human beings. so many little kids lose limbs or more because of old forgotten land mines. it's about time they found a way to economically rid the world of these mines. so many governments bitch about the expense and time involved, this seems like an acceptable solution.

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RE: "Giant rats put noses to work on Africa's land... - 9/9/2010 11:57:55 AM

Aneirin

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I suppose rats are cheaper than dogs and don't have so much of the 'ahh' factor

But it takes an Islamic military to be the first military in the world to order these.

If all armed forces had them, they can clear up their mess when they are finished. I do also hope the allied force in both Iraq and Afghanistan are going to take their mines home with them when they are finished.

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