Land mines and tuberculosis are no match for Tanzanian ‘hero rats’ that sniff out danger and disease

Ana Maria Rus

(4 Sep 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Morogoro, Tanzania – 29 July 2025 1. Mid of rat handler putting sniffer rat through hole in building simulating a collapse scenario 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Fabrizio Dell’Anna, rat trainer: ++PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOT 3++ "They are small and so they can penetrate rubble which is something that search and rescue dogs cannot do. So they can only smell from the surface of the debris. And they can carry a small backpack and that allows the operators