The Scoop: Rats Are the New Bomb-Sniffing Dog

PetSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:00:53 -0700

For four decades, Columbia has been wrought with war between its government and extremist rebels, leaving dangerous land mines sprinkled over the countryside. But instead of using people or bomb sniffing dogs to locate the mines, Columbia is turning to a much smaller soldier for the job: rats.

For the past few years, rats have been trained in mazes to sniff out dangerous C-4 explosives. Their tiny stature and weight won't trigger the mines so there's a better chance of diffusing the bombs safely. Surprisingly, the rats come with an 84 percent success rate, and are also being trained to work alongside Columbia's trusty German Shepherds for even more explosive detecting jobs. I am sure we can agree it gives the term "lab rat" a whole new meaning, but what do you think of the practice?

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