Rats with tiny backpacks to help rescuers talk to quake survivors
RATS are being trained to carry tiny backpacks containing microphones into earthquake debris so that rescue teams could talk to survivors.
The seven rodents trained so far took two weeks to master the skill after being sent into mock debris.
Special backpacks containing microphones, video gear and location trackers will now be made to help with rescue efforts after real earthquakes.
Dr Donna Kean, 33, a research scientist from Glasgow, who is working on the project, said: “Rats would be able to get into small spaces to get to victims buried in rubble.
“We have not been in a real situation yet, we have a mock debris site. When we get the new backpacks … we will be able to hear from where we are based and where the rat is, inside the debris. We have the potential to speak to victims [via] the rat.”
The animals are trained to return to base when they hear a beep. They are so nimble that they do not set off landmines and their agility makes them ideal for work in disaster zones.
“They are perfect for search and rescue-type work,” she said, adding that the “sociable animals” can “live off anything”.
“They are very good at surviving in different environments [so are] suitable … for search and rescue work.
“There is a misconception they are dirty and unhygienic,” she said.
“They are well looked after with us and are sociable animals.”
Dr Kean has been based in Morogoro, Tanzania, east Africa, for a year, working on the Hero Rats project with APOPO, a non-profit organisation.
The rodents will be sent to Turkey, an earthquake zone, to work with a searchand-rescue teams.
Dr Kean was originally interested in primate behaviour, but became fascinated by how quickly rats could be trained.
A total 170 of rats are being trained for projects that include finding landmines and sniffing out brucellosis, an infectious disease that affects livestock.
“We are the only organisation working with this species, but there are other organisations training dogs,” Dr Kean said. “We hope it will save lives, the results are really promising.”