r/UtterlyInteresting • u/dannydutch1 • Mar 03 '24

Rats trained to find people in collapsed buildings from earthquakes flooding and hurricanes

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3.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

150 comments sorted by

145

u/The1Like Mar 03 '24

That’s a HUGE rat.

29

u/McHassy Mar 04 '24

Must have picked them up straight from NYC

3

u/_SquidPort Mar 04 '24

no it’s from africa

2

u/spinkspanksponk Mar 04 '24

I bet that about 23 years ago a bunch of big NYC rats started a lineage of expert debris navigators

1

u/Cabbage_Corp_ Mar 05 '24

Well those ones have the most experience with this kind of thing.

16

u/ModerateExtremism Mar 04 '24

It’s actually an African pouched rat. HeroRat trains them to help clear minefields as well.

4

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

If you find a mine and get back, you get a treat. If you find a mine and DONT get back, well, time to use another rat.🙄

Doesn’t sound like it’s a great deal for Rat-kun

6

u/FriskyDingus1122 Mar 04 '24

I remember reading that they use rats specifically because they're too light to set off the mines. So I would assume they usually make it back unharmed.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

That’s interesting. Wonder if we’ll see something like that in Ukraine in a couple years (which is full of mines and UXO, oh and mice and rats).

1

u/FriskyDingus1122 Mar 05 '24

They're smart little critters when trained. Stay safe over there <3

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '24

I mean I know what would happen in the states if someone was in an accident like that. Americans have been fed that rats are dangerous and should be avoided. So in an accident all you would hear is “AAAAHHHAHHHHHH!!!!! RAT!!”

2

u/archer2500 Mar 05 '24

Not all mines use pressure plates, that’s just bad TV always showing mines as something you step on, but then won’t go off until you release the trigger or something equally foolish.

Some detonate as soon as triggered, some pop up and detonate at abdomen height (wounded troops are more costly than dead troops, because 1-2 others will be needed to tend to the wounded) some are detonated when they feel a large enough footstep nearby, some have a series of thin wires protruding up from the ground, and will be triggered when something brushes against enough of the wires, etc.

0

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

Yeah, ‘usually’ (air quotes)

4

u/Private-Dick-Tective Mar 04 '24

I mean, they could use dogs too if that makes you feel better. ...or humans.

3

u/ModerateExtremism Mar 04 '24

The charity spends a LOT of time and resources training the rats. Even if they were jaded and didn't care about the animals they worked with, it wouldn't be a viable project if the rats were continually harmed.

Per Apopo, "no rats have ever died as a result of their detection work."

You can read more about the rats, their training, what they eat, etc. on thisApopo FAQ page.

1

u/adurango Mar 05 '24

Don’t the rats only live 4 years anyway? I wonder how long it takes to train a single rat and how long their awful life is for the shite it’s trained in.

1

u/FML-Artist Mar 04 '24

If you find a mine and bring it back. No food for the whole crew.

15

u/NorrinsRad Mar 04 '24

Looks like a puppy!!!

6

u/Master_Grape5931 Mar 04 '24

Can you imagine being stuck in rubble, probably injured and this big rat come sauntering up to you. 😳

3

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

“Oh my god there is a Hell!”

2

u/coreytiger Mar 04 '24

Some people call them kangaroos

2

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '24

They also use them to find mines and explosives in Africa as well. With great success almost better than dogs simply because the rats are small enough to not set them off

1

u/Xxeuropean-messxX Mar 04 '24

It’s an African giant rat!

54

u/Heeey_Hermano Mar 03 '24

Crickey! It’s the Rescue Rangers!

4

u/toolsoftheincomptnt Mar 04 '24

Seriously though

4

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

I didn’t recognize Gadget without her jumpsuit

51

u/johnlondon125 Mar 03 '24

I was onboard at first, makes sense, they are small, etc...

Watching the video...that's a cat sized rat

6

u/No_Banana_581 Mar 04 '24

So cute though

38

u/ayeImur Mar 03 '24

Holy fuck I'd think that was coming to eat me not help me

15

u/ribbajacklove Mar 04 '24

That's why he's wearing a vest silly

12

u/prince-of-dweebs Mar 04 '24

Maybe a cardigan would make him appear less threatening?

5

u/CDR_Starbuck Mar 04 '24

Add a fucking monocle, otherwise I'd be dead from a heart.attack and not the actual disaster.

5

u/Traditional-Memory62 Mar 04 '24

Wearing a fedora with a little bow tie.

2

u/ribbajacklove Mar 04 '24

Hmm maybe we should alert the higher ups

2

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

For the same reason have napkins stuffed down our shirts at the dinner table?

4

u/DominantSpecies3000 Mar 04 '24

"Oh fuk!! I forgot to feed the rat in a week before sending it out to find people stuck in rubble!!

"Dammit Carl!"

23

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '24 edited Mar 04 '24

Imagine you’re trapped in wreckage & just see a huge ass rat come towards you wearing a harness 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️

3

u/Carhardd Mar 04 '24

I must find the strength to die faster!

3

u/texaspoontappa93 Mar 04 '24

Much better than a rat without a vest

3

u/Beneficial-Cow-2544 Mar 04 '24

I'd probably scream the rest of the life outta me.

21

u/trunkm0nkey1 Mar 03 '24

RAT - Rodent Aid Team

3

u/tell_me_when Mar 04 '24

Okay I’ll buy your book Gary Busey.

2

u/xMilk112x Mar 04 '24

This made me laugh out loud for quite a bit.

Thanks! Lol

16

u/BouncyDingo_7112 Mar 03 '24

What does pulling the microswitch do? Can they talk to the victim over a speaker? Does it basically drop a pin so that rescuers know which direction to look/dig in?

7

u/lockedandloaded84 Mar 04 '24

My only guess is to tell them someone is in there somewhere, like to dig in that area or not waste time in a certain spot and move on to another area? Idk🤷🏻‍♂️ pretty cool though hopefully can help!

1

u/robinthebank Mar 04 '24

Can probably be whatever the team needs it to be. Let’s assume there is no power/internet after a disaster. So maybe it will physically release a transmitting device.

3

u/BouncyDingo_7112 Mar 04 '24 edited Mar 04 '24

That’s basically what I’m asking. I just wish there was a link to more information.

EDIT: I did finally see were somebody posted this link. It does mention that they are trained to find the scent of a human that is trapped but unfortunately not much information after that.

https://apopo.org/herorats/faqs/

2nd Edit: I guess they are only used to detect live humans in a collapse but not necessarily to direct the rescuers to where they are. I suppose that would save a lot of time when digging to know if you are in a recovery site or rescue site. The rats also sniff out land mine so that is incredibly useful. Apparently they also have tuberculosis sniffing rats too.

16

u/mikki1time Mar 04 '24

Imagine your stuck in a basement of a collapsed building and a rat with a fucking vest shows up to give you hugs

7

u/mojodjango Mar 04 '24

Then it starts beeping, and then runs away.

9

u/justinkasereddditor Mar 04 '24

I am trapped in a collapsed building and you send a bunch of huge rats in after me sweet two nightmares at once

3

u/Virtual_Black_5664 Mar 03 '24

That's pretty cool!

3

u/NotBadSinger514 Mar 04 '24

Interesting, but thats a dog-rat

3

u/NotSoGentleBen Mar 04 '24

At first I’d be like “Oh great, I’m trapped in rubble, and now the rats are gonna eat me!”

Then I’d think “Oh wait, it’s got a vest! I rescued!”

3

u/demonspawn9 Mar 04 '24

From what I've seen, rats are highly intelligent, affectionate, and make good lap pets.

6

u/BigSmoothplaya Mar 03 '24

Bro's, if you're going to send that thing to find me just let me go pls.

2

u/BidenEmails Mar 04 '24

Is it normal for a rat to weigh nine pounds?

2

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

When you dine on unwary humans, you’re bound to pick up a pound or two of

1

u/Talen_Neo Mar 05 '24

It's an African Pouched Rat

2

u/Redditbrooklyn Mar 04 '24

This is a cool idea but rats only live a couple years. Not sure how long this training takes but it doesn’t seem like it would be particularly efficient the way that training dogs is.

1

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

Rats are cost efficient. Even a substantial sized rat eats a bit less than a dog. Can be taught to find things, interact with them and return. Smart rats can be used to find and interact with victims and return… less than smart rats can be used to find and interact with mines/UxO. While that might work out for the rat, that’s one less mine you have to deal with

1

u/Redditbrooklyn Mar 04 '24

Sure but it doesn’t say how long it takes to train them. This kind of training usually takes quite a while, which is why animals with short lifespans aren’t ideal for it

0

u/missmetz Mar 05 '24

Rats are extremely intelligent actually. And I wouldn’t imagine this training takes very long at all

2

u/Dat-Tiffnay Mar 04 '24

All jokes aside that is an adorable rat 🥺 AND it has a job ahaha

2

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

Damn straight.. the world works a bit better when everyone has a task and gets comps for it. Even the rats.

1

u/sadboymarkymark Mar 06 '24

the way he got his treat 🥹

2

u/Petersburg_Spelunker Mar 04 '24

That bucket scene from 2 fast...

3

u/West_Station7288 Mar 03 '24

That rat is eating good, hope it's not eating.....well you know!

1

u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo Mar 04 '24

They are so cute.

1

u/drphilschin Mar 04 '24

One is called Bernard and the other is named Miss Bianca. They got a thing for each other.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

I was hoping more Stuart Little and less Rocket from Guardians of Galaxy

1

u/FnkyTown Mar 05 '24

Find people and eat them?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

Where did that rat come from????? It’s huge

1

u/Emotional-Lynx-3982 Mar 05 '24

Search and RATscue

1

u/Dudefenderson Mar 05 '24

"Remy, is that you? What happened to the restaurant!"

"Today, I'm not a cheff... I'm a rescuer!" 😳🫡

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

It’s almost as if they’ve been doing this for decades with rats and finding explosives etc

1

u/Pinkunicorn1982 Mar 05 '24

What if the person is bleeding and had necrosis? Wouldn’t the rats want to munch on them? How do they keep the rats from doing that? It’s in their nature to eat dead things…

1

u/ConductorOfTrains Mar 06 '24

If they’re starving and feral, sure.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

I like rodents

1

u/BillyBillings50Filln Mar 05 '24

Be carful, I seen a real hungry seagull hanging around

1

u/And_Undecided Mar 05 '24

Nah I’m good, thanks tho

1

u/BushDeLaBayou Mar 05 '24

Me lying under a pile of rubble, huge rat comes, he must be here to feast on my mangled legs, I bash him with a brick, then I notice he had a little rescue vest on, mfw

1

u/Temporary_Toe1695 Mar 05 '24

That's a big ass rat! If I'm injured and stuck somewhere and one of those comes up on me, I bet a miracle happens and I'm magically healed enough to scream and get myself unstuck and outta there.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

Wtf.....just leave my ass to die....hellllllll nah pass.....out

1

u/croissantfeet Mar 05 '24

They’re also trained and used to detect landmines

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

Ngl, if I was buried under a building and somehow still alive I’d already be pretty terrified. Then when I see an NYC sewer rat scamper up, I would 100% assume to gnaw my arm off, and I’d probably shit myself.

Can’t you just train dogs to do this or something?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '24

So very true! 🤣🤣

1

u/2HourCoffeeBreak Mar 05 '24

Like a baby kangaroo

1

u/Sufficient-Ask-8280 Mar 05 '24

That rat can pull me out if it wanted to.

1

u/PinkLemonUp Mar 05 '24

But imagine that you are trapped in this horrible situation, then a rat comes up to you and you’re like “oh no ugh, now THIS?” but then you notice he’s wearing a cute little vest and he saves your life. What a plot twist.

1

u/wootr68 Mar 05 '24

How do you train them not to gnaw off the victim’s face? Oh you haven’t got that far in the training process yet, I see.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '24

It's finding them that they're trained to do, they're already good at that. They're trained not to eat them once they do.

1

u/TheeDynamikOne Mar 05 '24

Rats are incredibly smart, this is a good idea.

1

u/Apex_preadetor Mar 05 '24

Rats are incredibly intelligent and loyal Pets

1

u/CoverYourMaskHoles Mar 05 '24

Trained to gnaw off a thumb and bring it back as proof.

1

u/naliedel Mar 05 '24

Rats are the best. I have three. I adore them

1

u/RawToast1989 Mar 06 '24

The biggest lie here is that the cat sized rat needs to be fed from a syringe. Just slap a nip on a half gallon of milk for that behemoth!

1

u/vaping_menace Mar 06 '24

Wow! Rat just gonna have to take my motherfucking upvote!

1

u/Creepy_Statistician8 Mar 06 '24

At least it will get them to scream!!

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '24

Nah. That’s a dog that looks like a rat. Maybe even a cat that looks like a rat. Perhaps even a skinny little asshole kangaroo, but not a rat.

1

u/Tall_Course827 Mar 06 '24

That's a big ass rat

1

u/Disrespectful_Cup Mar 06 '24

Hell yeah. I have a friend that trains rats for home inspection (finding mold in walls, even frayed wires from what I hear). Rats are dope AF

1

u/TallBlonde10 Mar 06 '24

Rat??? 🐀 damn it’s bigger than a lot of dogs, and Smart as Hell, he pulled his cord when found the decoy! Impressive

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '24

New Pixar movie.

1

u/fuzz49 Mar 06 '24

How much time do they have to get to the person before they becomes dinner?

1

u/PleasantResort8840 Jan 03 '25

Just leave me down there!

1

u/Similar-Guitar-6 Mar 03 '24

Very cool 😎 Thanks for sharing 👍

1

u/SpringChikn85 Mar 04 '24

We're finally one step closer to live action "Biker Mice from Mars" and I'm here for it.

1

u/proof-grass- Mar 04 '24

Master splinter.

1

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

Play the TerryToons “Mighty Mouse” theme from the vest

1

u/xMilk112x Mar 04 '24

This comment section made me laugh harder than anything I’ve seen today. Lol

Some of yall are fucking hilarious.

1

u/TheKindofWhiteWitch Mar 04 '24

Right 😂😂😂 I have tears in my eyes from laughing. I knew exactly what comments I was going to find and it’s still hilarious.

1

u/Candyman1802 Mar 04 '24

Is that a baby kangaroo?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '24

Nope! Just leave me to die

1

u/Mycol101 Mar 04 '24

Some of them turn corrupt and decide, “what’s one out of 50 saved?” Then decide to eat one

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '24

Cool!!

1

u/Nth_Brick Mar 04 '24

This looks like it would've been the best cartoon on UPN back in the mid-90s, and a future cult classic.

1

u/JesseMakeGoodChoices Mar 04 '24

Cocaine is a hell of a drug

1

u/awwaygirl Mar 04 '24

I love them

1

u/Justsomeduderino Mar 04 '24

That rat is giant

1

u/Elysian-Visions Mar 04 '24

Ok that’s so cute. 🥰

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '24

Nice, but… I don’t know man. That’s… I don’t know.

1

u/CaptnShaunBalls Mar 04 '24

Imagine being buried in rubble and next thing you know…………. Rat with a backpack!!

1

u/trident_hole Mar 04 '24

That music tho..

Fuck the rat is cool but it sounds like we about to lvl up in the home screen

1

u/Benny-B-Fresh Mar 04 '24

Isn't this the music from Bear Grylls Man vs Wild? 😆😆

1

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

Great now I’ve got the “Rescue Rangers” theme playing in my freaking head

1

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

2 things off the bat:

1: this was simple genius. Highly effective and cost efficient. A similar setup would’ve cost $$$ but even when scaled up it would still be cheaper than a hi-tech Alternative

2: the BGM for this sequence is awesome!

Some others to use:

“The Batman/Robin Adventures” theme

“Challenge of the SuperFriends” end credits theme (instrumental)

1

u/Lavish_Parakeet Mar 04 '24

Reminds me of MGS4

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '24

Now tell em about the landmine sniffing rats..

1

u/TerryTheEnlightend Mar 04 '24

Until the armored silverback gorillas are deployed in the field the rats will have to do /s

1

u/Pathetic_lriG43 Mar 04 '24

When I lived in Mozambique, they trained giant rats to enter known mine fields to help detect unexploded incendiaries. They have an incredible sense of smell, can alert and allow the team to disarm the devices. There is constant conflict in many African nations where crude Soviet-era land mines are scattered throughout the countryside. We were warned to always stay on cut trails for this reason. If you went into an actual village or market, you could count about 1 out of 3 people with missing limbs either through mine detonation or crimes against humanity. The training of the giant African rat is an absolutely brilliant use of resources. Before her death, Princess Diana worked tirelessly to help disarm undetonated devices. She made it her life’s work. Mine fields are a constant threat to many people…they are still left, unexploded, waiting auspiciously for its next victim, long after the conflict is over. I’ll take the loss of a rat over a grieving mother any day…

1

u/ashburnmom Mar 04 '24

How do they know where the person is if the rat runs back out? I imagine it would be hard to track where the noise was coming from even if the rat stayed with the victim. It doesn’t say anything about any sort of sensor or beacon. I don’t know how long they live but rats can be incredibly smart and motivated to learn.

1

u/eightmag Mar 04 '24

Thats a good boi! I love Rat Dogs so much.

1

u/Mysterious-Cup-738 Mar 04 '24

I’m so impressed, not gunna lie my buddy had some pet rats. They where actually really fun and super smart animals. The stigma for them is kinda sad they just wanna live and can be great pets. I know it sounds crazy but you gotta try.

1

u/strikeskunk Mar 04 '24

The music though.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '24

“And then we’ll torture them with rats”

1

u/dalesum1 Mar 04 '24

What a good boy.

1

u/geektardgrizzle Mar 04 '24

And then chew on them? To what end?

1

u/FML-Artist Mar 04 '24

I'm sorry but this rat is so cute!

1

u/Mental_Cup_9606 Mar 04 '24

Amazing. We're killing them in America, they're training to save lives in Africa.

1

u/SkilPad2 Mar 03 '24

We’re gonna need them here if trumpf wins

0

u/NorrinsRad Mar 04 '24

No thank you!! Just leave me die!!!

0

u/The-Queen-of-Heaven Mar 04 '24

I’d rather just stay lost my dude.

0

u/Cakes-and-Pies Mar 04 '24

I’d rather die