Giant rats trained to detect land mines and tuberculosis in Africa
Giant African pouched rats are being used in Africa to locate landmines and help diagnose tuberculosis because of their acute sense of smell.
Some of the animals - which are trained by Apopo, a nonprofit social venture - have been used to search for explosives in Mozambique, a country littered with landmines after decades of civil war.
Others are helping doctors to spot tuberculosis in patients when conventional methods of diagnosis do not work.
Hassan Mhelela reports.
13 Sep 2012
- From the section Africa