Latest news with #HeroRATS
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Giant rat celebrated for detecting one of the world's deadliest illnesses: 'We really do see them as heroes'
Carolina isn't your average retiree. After seven years of devoted work, Carolina, an African giant pouched rat, had sniffed out more than 3,000 cases of tuberculosis that medical tests had missed, likely helping 30,000 more people avoid infection, according to National Geographic. Carolina worked for APOPO, a nonprofit organization that has 40 trained rats fighting TB in Tanzania and Ethiopia. These remarkable animals aren't your typical city pests. Their bodies are longer than a 13-inch laptop, with equally long tails and an extraordinary sense of smell. "Everybody's first impression is that the rats are our enemies," said physician Tefera Agizew, head of tuberculosis for APOPO, in the National Geographic report. "Once they see how they function, they fall in love with them." TB remains the top killer worldwide from a single infectious agent, according to the World Health Organization. In Tanzania and Ethiopia alone, over 50,000 people died from TB in 2023, reported epidemiologist Tess Ryckman of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, per National Geographic. These rats are helping out in a big way — Carolina is able to screen 100 sputum samples in just 20 minutes, compared to the four days it takes a human with a microscope. This speed and accuracy have boosted detection rates by 40% at local clinics. The rats go through a year of training, incentivized with banana-avocado smoothie rewards. Each must pass a final test: evaluating 500 samples without missing a single positive case. APOPO's program, called HeroRATS, began with landmine detection before expanding to TB, National Geographic reported. Last year alone, the program prevented nearly 400,000 new TB cases in Tanzania and Ethiopia. Carolina now enjoys retirement in an outdoor enclosure, which she shares with a roommate, fellow retiree Gilbert. Her send-off featured applause, cake, and celebration from her human colleagues. "Not only are we saving people's lives, but we're also changing these perspectives and raising awareness and appreciation for something as lowly as a rat," said Cindy Fast, who coaches the rats as APOPO's head of training and behavioral research. "Because our rats are our colleagues, and we really do see them as heroes." The next time you wrinkle your nose at a rodent, remember Carolina, the giant rat with a tiny nose saving thousands of lives, one sniff at a time. Should the U.S. government ban all products tested on animals? Absolutely No way Only certain kinds of products Let each state decide Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
South China Morning Post
05-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Ronin the rat breaks world record for sniffing out landmines in Cambodia
Ronin, a rat trained to sniff out explosives, has earned an entry in the Guinness World Records after finding a record 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance in Cambodia's northern Preah Vihear Province. Advertisement Belgian aid organisation Apopo revealed Ronin's achievements on Friday, World Rat Day, which is marked every year on April 4. Ronin, an African pouched rat, secured the record after being put to work in August 2021, beating all his peers. The five-year-old rat is the most successful in Apopo's history, going back 25 years. A handler walks with Ronin as the rat sniffs for landmines. Photo: AFP/Apopo Ronin was described as 'hardworking but also friendly and relaxed.' Apopo's Lily said: 'Ronin's success likely comes from his sharp focus, strong work ethic and love of problem-solving. His intelligence and natural curiosity help him stay engaged. Finding landmines is like a fun game to him, and no two days are the same.' The rats are too light to detonate landmines and are able to track down the explosives in landmines faster than traditional metal detectors. Advertisement According to Apopo, there are more than 300 so-called HeroRATS working on various projects.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ronin the rat sets new landmine-sniffing record
A landmine-detecting rat in Cambodia has set a new world record to become the first rodent to uncover more than 100 mines and other deadly war remnants. Ronin, an African giant pouched rat, has uncovered 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance since 2021, charity Apopo, which trains the animals, said in a statement. Cambodia remains littered with millions of unexploded munitions following about 20 years of civil war that ended in 1998. The Guinness Book of World Records said that Ronin's "crucial work" is making a real difference to people who have had to live with the "fear that one misstep while going about their day-to-day lives could be their last." Apopo, which is based in Tanzania, currently has 104 rodent recruits, or HeroRATS, as the non-profit likes to call them. The rats are trained to sniff out chemicals that are found in landmines and other weapons abandoned on battlefields. Because of their small size, the rats are not heavy enough to detonate the mines. The rats can check an area the size of a tennis court in about 30 minutes, the charity says, whereas a human with a metal detector might take four days to clear the same land. They can also detect tuberculosis, an infectious disease that commonly affects the lungs, far quicker than it would be found in a lab using conventional microscopy, Apopo says. Ronin's impressive work in Cambodia's northern Preah Vihear province has surpassed the previous record held Magawa, a rat who sniffed out 71 mines and was presented with a gold medal for his heroism in 2020. Since Apopo's work began 25 years ago, the organisation has cleared 169,713 landmines and other explosives worldwide - more than 52,000 have been in Cambodia. The charity also works in other countries affected by war, including Ukraine, South Sudan and Azerbaijan. There are still an estimated four to six million landmines and other exploded munitions buried in Cambodia, according to the Landmine Monitor.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ronin the rat sets new landmine-sniffing record
A landmine-detecting rat in Cambodia has set a new world record to become the first rodent to uncover more than 100 mines and other deadly war remnants. Ronin, an African giant pouched rat, has uncovered 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance since 2021, charity Apopo, which trains the animals, said in a statement. Cambodia remains littered with millions of unexploded munitions following about 20 years of civil war that ended in 1998. The Guinness Book of World Records said that Ronin's "crucial work" is making a real difference to people who have had to live with the "fear that one misstep while going about their day-to-day lives could be their last." Apopo, which is based in Tanzania, currently has 104 rodent recruits, or HeroRATS, as the non-profit likes to call them. The rats are trained to sniff out chemicals that are found in landmines and other weapons abandoned on battlefields. Because of their small size, the rats are not heavy enough to detonate the mines. The rats can check an area the size of a tennis court in about 30 minutes, the charity says, whereas a human with a metal detector might take four days to clear the same land. They can also detect tuberculosis, an infectious disease that commonly affects the lungs, far quicker than it would be found in a lab using conventional microscopy, Apopo says. Ronin's impressive work in Cambodia's northern Preah Vihear province has surpassed the previous record held Magawa, a rat who sniffed out 71 mines and was presented with a gold medal for his heroism in 2020. Since Apopo's work began 25 years ago, the organisation has cleared 169,713 landmines and other explosives worldwide - more than 52,000 have been in Cambodia. The charity also works in other countries affected by war, including Ukraine, South Sudan and Azerbaijan. There are still an estimated four to six million landmines and other exploded munitions buried in Cambodia, according to the Landmine Monitor.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Ronin the rat sets new landmine-sniffing record
A landmine-sniffing rat in Cambodia has set a new world record to become the first rat to uncover more than 100 mines and other deadly war an African giant pouched rat, has uncovered 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance since 2021, charity Apopo, which trains the animals, said in a remains littered with millions of unexploded munitions following about 20 years of civil war that ended in Guinness Book of World Records said that Ronin's "crucial work" is making a real difference to people who have had to live with the "fear that one misstep while going about their day-to-day lives could be their last." Apopo, which is based in Tanzania, currently has 104 rodent recruits, or HeroRATS, as the non-profit likes to call rats are trained to sniff out chemicals that are found in landmines and other weapons abandoned on battlefields. Because of their small size, the rats are not heavy enough to detonate the rats can check an area the size of a tennis court in about 30 minutes, the charity says, whereas a human with a metal detector might take four days to clear the same can also detect tuberculosis, an infectious disease that commonly affects the lungs, far quicker than it would be found in a lab using conventional microscopy, Apopo says. Ronin's impressive work in Cambodia's northern Preah Vihear province has surpassed the previous record held Magawa, a rat who sniffed out 71 mines and was presented with a gold medal for his heroism in Apopo's work began 25 years ago, the organisation has cleared 169,713 landmines and other explosives worldwide - more than 52 thousand have been in Cambodia. The charity also works in other countries including Ukraine, South Sudan and are still an estimated four to six million landmines and other exploded munitions buried in Cambodia, according to the Landmine Monitor.
