Trained Rats Carrying Backpacks To Help Out On Rescue Missions
Video screenshot via APOPO
First-responders are expected to be fit, intelligent, quick on their feet, and inquisitive. Surprisingly fitting the bill are rats, some of whom are now being trained to assist in rescue missions and sniff out diseases.
You’ve heard of the Cat in the Hat. Well, how about a rat with a bag? Helmed by Glasgow-based research scientist Dr Donna Kean, a nonprofit called APOPO has been running a project called ‘HeroRATS’, which is teaching 170 African pouch rats to deftly bypass landmines, detect illnesses like tuberculosis, and more.
When raised alongside humans, these critters would be able to achieve more than, say, Pizza Rat. Like dogs, they’re easy to train, but they have the added flexibility and nimbleness to work through rubble and help frontliners locate trapped victims.
I train these clever creatures to save victims trapped in collapsed buildings after earthquakes. We kit them out with a rat backpack, and train them to trigger a switch when they find a victim & come back for a tasty treat ðŸ€#herosnotpests #science #weirdjobs #WomenInSTEM pic.twitter.com/728IQv70NX
— Dr Donna Kean (@donnaeilidhkean) May 26, 2022
According to Newsweek, seven “hero rats” have learned to navigate earthquake debris and reach out to survivors, and the training program only took them two weeks to master.
Helping the rodents are tiny backpacks fitted out with microphones, location trackers, and video equipment that can be triggered so rescue teams can communicate with victims through the rats.
Video screenshot via APOPO
There’s a ball in the backpacks that, when pulled by the rescue rats, beeps to tell first-responders that a human has been located.
Another beeper set off by their human companions beckons the rats to return to home base.
To thank them for their efforts, researchers reward the heroes with treats, which include nuts.
The hero rats have yet to experience a real disaster site, and have been training with fake debris so far. By next year, though, they’ll be deployed to earthquake-prone Turkey to work alongside dogs in search and rescue operations.
[via Newsweek and New Scientist, video and screenshots via APOPO]
