Rats, cats work together to sniff out land mines

morphus says on May 29, 2008, 05:40:

BOGOTA, Colombia - Who says Tom and Jerry can’t be friends?

For the past year, a special Colombian police unit has been locking rats in cages with cats as part of a project to train the rodents to sniff out the more than 100,000 land mines planted mostly by leftist rebels across this conflict-wracked Andean country.

Bringing the rats face to face with an enemy allows them to stay more focused once they are released, veterinarian Luisa Mendez, who’s been working with the animals for two years, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The rodents are taught to freeze in front of mines, but had difficulty staying put for fear of being attacked by predators.

“Here the cats play with the rats instead of attacking them,� Mendez said. “The cats wear shields on their nails so they can’t cause any injuries and as a result the rats feel comfortable playing around them.�

Col. Javier Cifuentes, who oversees the project, said the rats’ success rate in mine detection is 96 percent. Unlike dogs, the rats weigh a lot less and therefore don’t trigger explosions.

Colombia is home to the world’s largest number of land mine victims. Last year, there were 1,108 victims, or about one every eight hours, the government says. Nearly a quarter of the victims die from their injuries.

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Robert Jorge says on May 29, 2008, 07:03:

It seems a little far-fetched. I wonder how effective these rats are at finding mines? But I hope it really works. When I was in Villavo, I saw amputees everyday. I assume most were victims of landmines or moto accidents.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

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Tinto (Moderator) says on May 29, 2008, 08:08:

Rats and cats living together - clearly a sign of the End Times.

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Mononoke28 says on May 29, 2008, 08:13:

I saw this on "Primer Impacto" here in the States and these rats are so light on their feet that they don't trigger any of the mines but are very good at recognizing where they are. They tie a thread to their tails and they just go off, as soon as they see a mine they freeze. Very smart little creatures.

Diana

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Chriscan says on May 29, 2008, 14:49:

Colombia has the most civilian landmine deaths per year in the world.

I like the symbolism that you pointed out Tinto.

************* WARNING ************* my words often come from my ass

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adrimm says on May 29, 2008, 23:27:

That's a very innovative & cool program. I fully believe that the rats can be trained to do this well.

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