The Giant Rats That Save Lives

A Gambian pouched rat clears a minefield in northern Angola. Credit / Nicholas Kristof/The New York Times.

Nicholas Kristof: MALANJE, Angola — I’M walking in a minefield here in rural Angola, tailing a monster rat.

This is a Gambian pouched rat, a breed almost 3 feet from nose to tail, the kind of rat that gives cats nightmares. Yet this rat is a genius as well as a giant, for it has learned how to detect land mines by scent — and it’s doing its best to save humans like me from blowing up.

These rodent mine detectors have been dubbed HeroRats, and when you’re in a minefield with one that seems about right. You’re very respectful, and you just hope this HeroRat doesn’t have a stuffed nose.

I’m here because five years ago, my kids gave me a HeroRat for a Father’s Day present through GlobalGiving.org. I didn’t actually take physical possession (fortunately!) but the gift helped pay to train the rat to sniff out explosives. And now I’ve come to minefields of rural Angola to hunt for my rat.

There are 39 HeroRats here, and they underscore the way the aid world is increasingly embracing innovative approaches to old challenges...Continue reading...                                                                                                                                                                      

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