Rats With Tiny Backpacks Are Undergoing Training To Find Survivors In Earthquake Debris

A research scientist is part of an innovative project that trains backpack-wearing rats to find victims in earthquake debris.

Dr. Donna Kean, 33, from Glasgow, has spent about a year in Morogoro, Tanzania in East Africa, working for the Hero Rats project that was created by APOPO, a non-profit organization.

Seven rats have so far been trained to zig-zag their way through mock debris whilst wearing homemade prototype backpacks that contain microphones.

“Rats would be able to get into small spaces to get to victims buried in rubble. We have not been in a real situation yet, we have got a mock debris site,” Kean explained, according to Wales Online.

The project is working towards creating specialist backpacks for rodents. These backpacks will include microphones, video gear, and location trackers to help rescue teams communicate with earthquake victims in the debris and speed up the process of bringing them to safety.

"When we get the new backpacks we will be able to hear from where we are based and where the rat is, inside the debris. We have the potential to speak to victims through the rat."

The rats are also trained to recognize a particular beep and return to the base.

"It's quite unusual. They are so agile, they are so good at moving through all kinds of different environments,” she went on to say. "They are perfect for search and rescue-type work. They can live off anything. They are very good at surviving in different environments, which just shows how suitable they are for search and rescue work."

Kean was surprised by how quickly rats could pick up on the cues and noted that it takes just about two weeks to train them.

“They are very trainable, the first stage is to train them to come back to base point - they respond to a beep. There is a misconception they are dirty and unhygienic,” she added.

Around 170 rats are being trained for different projects, including working in landmines and disaster zones. They are also being trained to sniff out diseases like Brucellosis, which impacts livestock.

Some of the trained rats will soon be on their way to earthquake-prone Turkey to work with a search and rescue team, according to NDTV.

"They are well looked after with us, they are sociable animals. We hope it will be implemented, we are partnered with a search and rescue team in Turkey,” Kean said, according to Wales Online. “It would just be a case of as soon as an earthquake happens, arranging the transport. We are the only organization working with this species, there are other organizations training dogs. We hope it will save lives, the results are really promising."