WEBVTT

NOTE recognizability 0.866

NOTE language en-us

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If you're in a disaster zone, it may just be a rat that rescues you.

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Apopo is an organization that raises and trains rats to detect

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landmines and sniff out tuberculosis. And now these rodents have a

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new task saving disaster victims. Behavioral research scientist

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Doctor Donna Dean explains that rats are as trainable as dogs, but

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their small size makes them ideal for finding trapped people. They've

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got a great sense of smell, and their small size and natural agility

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should hopefully make them really good.

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In this scenario where they could squeeze in small spaces and get

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closer to any victims, the rats wear tiny backpacks that are powerful

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communication tools. The technology will include as video camera, two

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way audio so that we can actually talk to people through the vet.

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Also a location device so that we can get a clear idea of where the

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rat is at any given time. If these rats look bigger than the ones

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you've seen rummaging through your garbage, you're right, the species

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of rat that we work with.

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They're called the African giant pipe Strat, and they're native to

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sub-Saharan Africa, and they are much bigger than your typical rat

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that you might have seen elsewhere. They can weigh between 1000 to

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1500 grams. Training these rats can take from nine months to a year,

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with the average lifespan of a giant pouch rat in captivity being

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from 8 to 10 years.

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And how do you pay a hero rat for a job well done?

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A bit of food, of course. For Inside Edition Digital, I'm TC Newman.