APOPO is now training these three pound rats to save even more lives. The nonprofit is outfitting the giant rats with small specialized backpacks that will help rescue teams talk to survivors of earthquakes. After being trained, the rats should be able to scurry through the rubble of a disaster zone following a hurricane or an earthquake in order to locate survivors.
“Rats are typically quite curious and like to explore––and that is key for search and rescue,” says Donna Kean, a behavioral research scientist and leader of the project.
The organization trains dogs and rats at its base in Tanzania, having first launched their project in April of 2021 following years in which they struggled to get adequate funding. The rats are currently being trained in a simulated disaster area in 15-minute sessions five days a week. It will take nine to 12 months to train each rat, according to Kean, before they’re able to get to work.
The rats carry with them homemade backpacks that have microphones, for now. When the rats have finished their training and are ready to get to work, they will be given backpacks outfitted with video equipment and a GPS device, which are being developed by APOPO with the help of Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.
In the simulated practices, the rats find a trapped person, pull a switch on their vest that triggers a beeper, and then return to their handlers and receive a treat.
After they finish training the rats will be sent to work in Turkey with the organization GEA, which helped the organization find its footing in the search and rescue field. Turkey has had a large increase in the number of earthquakes it experiences annually. In 1990, it experienced just 344 earthquakes, while in 2021, that number reached 23,763, according to Statista.
For now, when the rats aren’t working, they’re kept with their siblings in kennels that are cleaned regularly, according to APOPO’s website. The rats are fed, played with and cared for by a staff of caretakers and are even given an outdoor enclosure where they can play.