Sacramento Office (916) 344–4400 | El Dorado Office (530) 622–4810

Pest Control Services Sacramento
  • Home
  • Promo Videos
  • Pest Control Services
    • Residential Services
    • Commercial Services
    • Termite Services
    • Rodent Control Services
    • Bed Bug Services
    • Burrowing Vertebrate Services
    • Bird & Bat Services
    • Horticulture Services
    • Turf Grass Sales & Services
    • Weed & Vegetation Management
    • Complete List Of Services
  • Customer Reviews
  • Blog
  • Free Quote | Contact Us
  • Home
  • Promo Videos
  • Pest Control Services
    • Residential Services
    • Commercial Services
    • Termite Services
    • Rodent Control Services
    • Bed Bug Services
    • Burrowing Vertebrate Services
    • Bird & Bat Services
    • Horticulture Services
    • Turf Grass Sales & Services
    • Weed & Vegetation Management
    • Complete List Of Services
  • Customer Reviews
  • Blog
  • Free Quote | Contact Us
Pest Control Services Sacramento > Pest Control Sacramento > Meet The Heroic Bomb-Sniffing Rats Of Africa That Are Helping Save Thousands Of Lives
Pest Control Center Inc.Pest Control SacramentoDecember 19, 20160 Comment2 Likes

Meet The Heroic Bomb-Sniffing Rats Of Africa That Are Helping Save Thousands Of Lives

Throughout the world, places that have been involved in war and/or civil strife often have large minefields that still need clearing. In 2013, it was estimated that there was a global average of around nine mine-related deaths every day. The situation is especially dire in Africa.

Typically, clearing a minefield involves men in body armor walking in very precise lines with metal detectors. Anything (from a rusty nail to an old ammo cartridge) that sets the detectors off must be investigated before moving on. A new method of bomb detection using rats, however, is flipping this process on its head.

A Belgian NGO called APOPO has developed a way to train African pouched rats (named for the storage pouch in their cheeks) to sniff out bombs quickly and safely.

They used this rat because it has an incredibly fine-tuned sense of smell and a long lifespan (8-9 years) to yield returns on the nine months of training they undergo.

They’re called HeroRats, and not one has died in the line of duty since the program started in 1997.

The average mine requires 5 kg (roughly 11 pounds) of weight to trigger an explosion, but even the biggest of these rats are only around 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds).

Since they’re trained to sniff out explosives exclusively, they aren’t distracted by other metal objects the way human minesweepers are.

They can effectively search 200 square meters in less than 20 minutes.

A team of humans would need around 25 hours to do the same job.

Since they’re in the African sun a lot, the HeroRats get sunscreen to keep them cancer free.

Advertisement

If a rat does get cancer, it receives full medical treatment.

The rats are “paid” in avocados, peanuts, bananas and other yummy, healthy treats.

After about 4-5 years on the job (or whenever they lose interest in working), they’re allowed to retire.

Retirement consists of eating all the tasty fruit their little hero hearts desire.

If you’d like to learn more please visit the APOPO website, where you can also adopt a HeroRat for just $7 per month or $84 per year.

Via: Bored Panda

Tags: Awesome, Fun, Interesting

Share This Post!

  • Google+
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Pest Control Center Inc.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Darth Vader of the Grasshoppers

Thumbtack Pro

. With questions, please email Thumbtack support at support@thumbtack.com

Pest Control Services Sacramento

3845 Madison Ave
North Highlands, CA 95660

(916) 344–4400

Pest Control Services El Dorado

5761 Pleasant Valley Rd
El Dorado , CA 95623

(530) 622–4810

Social Media

Warranty

Privacy Policy

Areas We Service

Career Opportunities

© 2016 Copyright All Rights Reserved - Pest Control Center Inc.
Website Created By: WebPro