Africa uses mice to clear mines

Using mice to detect landmines is a method applied in Africa, with the aim of limiting the impact on people's lives.

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The Gambia mouse, a large African kangaroo, was trained in the project Hero Rat by a team from the University of Agriculture of Sokoine, Tanzania, with the aim of detecting and detecting mines in some countries. of the black continent.

A mouse was trained to track landmines in Africa. (Photo: Reuters)

Experts will train mice to sniff and scratch when landmines are found. If they detect dangerous locations, they will be "rewarded" with bananas or food. During the day, a mouse searched for an area that was about 14 times larger than normal equipment. With strict training regime more "machine Minesweeper" special can perform tasks ranging from 200-400m ² per day.

Mirror says that because of its light weight, they can move through areas where there are no explosives. According to the team, the mice would do anything they could to get food. This is also a species that can perform repetitive tasks.

"The socio-economic impact of unexploded ordnance and unexploded ordnance is huge, and most of the people are dependent on land for agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, or even for providing "said Tekimiti Gilbert, head of the APOPO NGO Action Program, the project executive.

According to researchers, 72 countries in the world are still affected by unexploded ordnance. In Africa, the project will be implemented in Mozambique and landmine clearance in the country in the near future.

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