-
Asked by 294hyda23 to Zoe on 8 May 2015.
-
Zoe GetmanPickering answered on 8 May 2015:
I think it is amazing! This is a situation where both humans and other animals work together and benefit. The rats get yummy food while humans are protected from land mines. I suspect that many lives will be saved. Scientists have discovered many cool ways we can work with animals, but we have only begun to scratch the surface of what is possible.
I hadn’t actually seen that article, but i looked it up when I read your question. Thank you for telling me about it. I didn’t realize I would learn such cool things from doing this.
-
Comments
Lindsay commented on :
I agree with Zoe! This is an amazing example of human and non-human animal cooperation! African giant pouched rats are a very special kind of rodent that is making important contributions on a troubled continent. When I first heard about these little guys, I was first awed by their amazing abilities to detect landmines and even tuberculosis, but then I was concerned for their safety. I was relieved to read that even though they are bigger than normal rats, they’re still too light to set off pressure-sensitive landmines, and are very well looked after in conditions that are as close to natural as possible.
I think my pet rat, Indy, would be jealous of all the adventures that they get up to, but he’s wicked smart, too. A lot of people don’t appreciate just how intelligent rats of all kinds can be and how much they have to offer if we work WITH them. “Hero” rats like those working in Africa are changing the way we see rats, and I think that’s incredible!
Anyone interested can read more about these heroes here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APOPO