Geoff Lewis
Google
Yes, you really should make an effort to add this to your itinerary. It’s very interesting plus they need all the support they can get (especially if some previous aid sources are in question). To that end, check out their gift shop as they actually have some pretty unique items including Naturally Cooling Scarves (with logo’s), mugs, baseball hats, magnets, toy Rats , shirts & lots more. Their displays also make for interesting reading and that’s where the sessions actually begin, tho outside (try to arrive earlier than your scheduled time, if you have one, because 10 people trying to read the same poster at the same time doesn’t cut it).
The host tries to explain the different types of hazards, whether they be ‘personal’, tank, or bomb related, for example and how they are detonated, as well as recent incidents and the history. The group is then moved to a ‘roped off’ sandy test area where she explains there are two metal objects, one being harmless, the other a hazard with TNT.
A rather cute looking South African rat, named Silver, with long ‘shaved’ ears is introduced to the group. It is then tethered to a rope with 2 ends, each of which is held by and used by a handler to guide the rat from side to side to ensure that the rat covers every square inch of the test area. The rat can cover an area the size of a tennis court in approximately 30 minutes as opposed to several times longer using a person with a metal detector. Although the latter takes longer, the use of metal detectors and other newer, more sophisticated and expensive hardware is required in the rice fields as food is a source of severe distraction to the rat since it is trained using food (banana) as its reward for discovery. Since rats are also sensitive to the sun, their day typically starts with a 4am wake-up call and they only typically work for 3 hrs in the morning (9-12). When they find ‘explosives’, they either lie down, scratch or make a circle around the device. There is a second ‘test’ to determine if they react similarly a second h oh-around’, before the treat is given and the explosive either removed or detonated on-site. No people who work with APOPO have been harmed in the process and since the rats are only 1.5 kilos, they are not heavy enough to detonate the mines or hazards.
I guess I thought this would be out in the countryside somewhere watching a ‘live clearance’ from a distance - but in retrospect, I guess I really hadn’t put much thought into it.
This was a well done demonstration, methodical and interesting - plus we got to meet the rats, watch them perform and even hold them!
The hosts accent was a little strong and could have been louder (or miked) but she was quite knowledgeable, although I feel that some answers were not very well explained.
