The rattus norvegicus - otherwise known as the common long-tailed, white-whiskered medium sized rodent that generally makes people leap out of their chairs - has been basking in the spotlight this year. We learned that in unspoiled corners of our world, its cousins, uncles and long-lost relatives are able to grow to the size of domesticated cats when left to their own devices, suggesting that a steady diet of nutrient-rich fruits-and-veggies does wonders for the body (as opposed to cast aside French fries and chunks of hotdogs). We also heard about an artist who recycles the smaller city dwelling varieties (along with their rodent brethren) into outrageous fashion accessories that possess one part irreverence, one part heeby-jeeby I dare you to put this on your head.
With so many headlines cluttering the press, what you may not have heard about is their most notable achievement - namely, the fact that they are being employed by the Belgium charity APOPO to detect landmines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Columbia and Angola. Thanks to their impressive olfactory abilities, rats are even more adept than dogs at locating explosive devices that are notoriously littering the countryside of guerrilla warfare zones. It is estimated that 60 countries around the world have up to 100 million of these devices hidden in the ground, easily tripping off when something weighing roughly 11 pounds or more passes above it. Though African giant pouched rats are a lot larger than what we are accustomed to seeing in a pet store or on the streets of major cities, they weigh up to 5 pounds, ensuring that they never detonate the mines they locate.
Through extensive research, it has been found that these highly intelligent creatures are not only easily trainable, but also more than happy to perform repetitive actions when they realize that an edible reward awaits them upon the successful completion of their task. During their preparatory boot camp, they are attached to a harness system covering 10 foot swaths of land and each time they pass over deactivated landmines and accurately identify the scent of TNT below, they are rewarded with food. With a particular fondness for palm nuts and bananas as well as a willingness to work for their next meal, they seem to be perpetually content employees that cost APOPO 70% less than the traditional metal detector route (demining one square foot of land ends up costing a mere 14 cents), plus they are able to cover 60 square yards of territory in 15 minutes flat, making them highly efficient workers. Is it cruel to pimp out rats in this manner? It would be ideal if the instruments of war didn't exist in the first place and rats could just be allowed to frolic in the grass with no career expectations, but their newly found purpose admittedly seems beneficial to human and rodent. Do you think that their new job is justifyable, or is it a form of animal abuse? Do you care less about the potential cruelty issue since rats are involved?
Comments
Leave a comment