When you think about animals that are heroes, what comes to mind?  Usually, we think of rescue or service dogs, police dogs and those that guide the visually impaired.  But have you ever thought of a rat as a hero?  Rats don’t have the best reputation among humans.  But a few months ago, when my husband travelled to Cambodia he came face to face with the Hero Rats!

These specially-trained rodents, called Africa giant pouched rats, originally started being trained in Tanzania, East Africa to help discover land mines which are buried underground and can’t be seen in war-torn countries.  The rats are lightweight and were trained to “sniff out” explosives so the dangerous materials could be removed. 

Cambodia is also a country with much war and destruction in its past.  The Hero Rats made their way to that Asian country to continue saving lives by detecting land mines. 

Their value has been proven by the heroic deeds they have been trained to perform, but they are even more valuable since they are also trained for medical lab work.  In Ethiopia, the hero rats have been trained to “sniff out” TB or tuberculosis, a very serious disease.  They can detect this pathogen much faster than their human counterparts.

The Hero Rats are also being trained to do search and rescue in situations such as earthquakes, and they can go into small spaces with little backpack cameras and lights to search for survivors in these devastating natural disasters. 

So, the next time you see a rat or think of rats, remember, some rats are heroes.  If you would like to learn more about them, there are videos on YouTube and websites like www.apopo.org  that show the rats in action.

Here are some photos Jon took when he visited the Hero Rats in Cambodia!

-by Pam Konnerup