MediaGlobal (New York)
Nicola Winter
11 March 2010
For quite some time, dogs have been one of the main tools used to detect land mines. However recently, there is a new animal that is proving to be just as useful in sniffing out landmines and other unexploded ordinances-rats. The non-profit APOPO, based in Tanzania, has been training rats for mine detection and is currently putting them to work in Mozambique to clear minefields left over from conflicts in the 1960s, 70s and 90s.
Already, a significant portion of the mine-ridden areas have been cleared, and according to APOPO's clearance plan, they will clear more than 3.7 million square miles by 2013. This is an immense amount of land that was previously off limits to any sort of development or use due to the danger of landmines. Harvard Bach from the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining told MediaGlobal that "mine action is an integrated element of development. Where landmines exist, they hamper or deny development in addition to killing/maiming people and causing fear and passive attitude[s]. Removing landmines and releasing land will always have a positive effect on regional and national development."
There are a few helpful advantages rats have in helping demining efforts in least developed countries. The rats being used by APOPO are African Giant Pouched Rats, which are much larger than an average rat. However, they are still lighter than dogs or humans. Courtney Baggett from APOPO explained to MediaGlobal that "it takes 5 kilos to set off a mine, [and] rats weigh 1.5 to 2 kilos so their risk [of setting off a mine] is minimal."
Rats are indigenous to almost all areas affected by land mines, and are thus less prone to tropical diseases than non-native mine detection dogs. In addition, the cost of training and upkeep is less for rats than dogs. Baggett put the cost of training a dog for mine detection around €20,000-24,000 per animal, while training a rat is about €5,000. Finally, rats are easily transferred and work effectively with different handlers, where as many dogs are trained only to work with a specific person.
The only draw back is that due to their smaller size, it takes rats longer than dogs to cover areas, and Bach points out "they are more difficult to train in terms of sniffing in a defined pattern." Yet the rats' handlers seem to have worked out a way around this. The rats wear harnesses attached to a wire held on either end by a handler. The rats then run up and down the attached wire, and each time the rat reaches the end of the wire, the handlers move slightly in one direction, until the rat has meticulously inspected the entire section. The rats are trained to detect the smell of TNT, and to start scratching and digging when they find something. They are then called over by their handlers and given a tasty reward, and the mine can be removed.
While all of this new work shows great promise in a new field of mine detection, both Bagget and Bach emphasis that the use of rats in this field is not meant to replace dogs, but rather will be used as a "complementary tool" in attempt to "reach the goal of a mine-free world together in the most efficient and cost effective way." Regardless of what combination of animals is used, rats do have the potential to provide least developed countries with a local and cost effective way to clear minefields, without having to wait for developed countries funding and special equipment or personnel to help.
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