Animal Instinct

We’ve all heard of landmine sniffing dogs, but how about landmine sniffing rats? This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher gets an update from APOPO ( check out APOPO on Episode 13), the organization that trains rats to sniff out landmines as well as tuberculosis. Chatting with US Director, Charlie Richter, about what’s new and where the organization is headed, he shares the numbers of current working ‘hero rats’ and those that are in training to help those in need. He also reminds listeners how exactly the rats detect landmines and TB, all of which upon successful detection is rewarded with a treat. Charlie takes Celia through the life of a hero rat and shares the time he was ‘kissed’ by a rat! After the break, Charlie explains how dire the landmine situation is in the countries APOPO operates in and reinforces their life-saving work in these underdeveloped nations. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “The average rat passes through the process in 9 months and ultimately they l