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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Man's New Best Friend: Rats Ferret Out Land Mines, TB

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(Newser) – Move over, Rover: Man has a new best friend that is helping to combat two scourges plaguing the developing world. Rats, normally reviled as filthy vermin, are sniffing out land mines and detecting tuberculosis bacteria. "Rats are usually considered pests or enemies of humanity,” said one Mozambican handler, but they’re “helping my country escape the shadow of death.”

The raccoon-sized rodents, which are too light to trip explosives, are cheaper than dogs, less emotionally attached, and are far less susceptible to disease, the Boston Globe reports. In labs, rats evaluate potentially infected saliva samples quicker than technicians. They’re also “really nice creatures” to boot, said the developer of both programs. “They are organized, sensitive, sociable, and smart.”

In Mozambique, special squads of raccoon-size rats are sniffing out lethal explosive devices buried across the countryside, remnants of the country's anticolonial and civil wars of the last century.
In Mozambique, special squads of raccoon-size rats are sniffing out lethal explosive devices buried across the countryside, remnants of the country's anticolonial and civil wars of the last century.   (Shutter Stock)
A juvenile naked mole rat is caught by a rare burst of light at the Bronx Zoo's
A juvenile naked mole rat is caught by a rare burst of light at the Bronx Zoo's "World of Darkness" exhibit in New York, Thursday, Feb 7, 2008. It startled the heck out of your editors.   (AP Photo/WCS, Julie Larsen Maher)
A rat and cat are seen in a cage at a police station in Bogota, Tuesday, July 24, 2007. The Colombian police force has been experimenting with training rodents to detect minefields.
A rat and cat are seen in a cage at a police station in Bogota, Tuesday, July 24, 2007. The Colombian police force has been experimenting with training rodents to detect minefields.   (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
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It's fair to call these animals 'hero rats.' - Bart Weetjens, developer of the rat programs

The medical applications, I believe, will eventually prove even more important than the hunt for land mines. - Bart Weetjens, developer of the rat programs

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petepenguin
Nov 23, 08 4:31 PM CST
Rats are our friends. Reply
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radnip
Mar 3, 09 4:56 AM CST
I love rats, though their bedding smells. Reply
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