Rats may be the least expensive and best suited animal to sniff out
land-mines, according to Apopo, a Belgian research group.
Researchers working with African giant pouched rats for the past six
years recently announced that the rodents can pinpoint the exact
location of land-mines.
"Rats have certain advantages over dogs, which are often used for
detection purposes," stated Christophe Cox, a chief technical engineer
at Apopo. "They have a better sence of smell (and) are cheaper to keep
and maintain."
In lab tests, rats can detect dynamite scents in soil samples and
sit beside the odor, waiting for a food reward.
The researches are taking advantage of the rat's natural behavior
when the rodents bury food in the wild and use their sence of smell to
find it later.
The rats may be sniffing for reeal land-mines within two years.

The Animals Agenda
March/April 2000