The mice are trained to be sent into the earthquake wreckage with a small backpack, so rescue teams can talk to survivors.
So far, seven rats have been trained, but it only took two weeks to get them up to speed.
Prototypes of homemade backpacks, including Mike, are currently in use and are shipped by scientists in simulated debris.
Special backpacks and location trackers, including microphones and video equipment, will be installed to allow rescue teams to communicate with survivors in the event of an actual earthquake.
Dr. Donna Keane, a 33-year-old researcher from Glasgow, is working on an innovative project.
Donna has been based in Morogoro, Tanzania, East Africa for a year and is working on a project called Hero Rats in collaboration with the non-profit organization APOPO.
The rodents will be sent to Turkey, which is prone to earthquakes, and will be able to work in the field working with the GAE search and rescue team.
Donna, who studied ecology at Stratcliff University before earning an MSc and PhD from the University of Kent at the University of Stirling, was initially interested in primate behaviour.
But he was fascinated by how quickly the mice could learn and train themselves, and said it was a mistake to think they were unhygienic.
He described them as “sociable” creatures and believed that the work done would save lives.
A total of 170 mice have been trained in projects such as mining and tuberculosis, and we hope that they will be able to diagnose brucellosis, an infectious disease that affects cattle.
Mice are so convenient that they have never planted a mine and their agility makes them ideal for use in disaster areas.
Donna said: “Rats can get into a small space to reach victims buried in the rubble.
“We’re not in the real world yet, we have a place for imitation waste.
When we buy a new backpack, we can understand where we are, where the mice are, and if they are in the rubble.
“We can talk to the victim through the mouse.”
The rodents are trained to respond to signals that call to their base.
Donna added: A colleague is a tailor, she makes a backpack, she’s very talented.
“We accept custom-built backpacks with VCRs, microphones and location transmitters.
“It’s very unusual.
“They are very flexible and work very well in different environments.
“They are great for search and rescue operations. They can live with anything. They can survive very well in different environments, which shows how well suited they are for search and rescue operations…
Dogs have been used for similar purposes, but rats have the advantage of being smaller and more flexible.
Dona added: “They are very trained. The first step is to train them back to baseline. They react to the signal.”
There is a misunderstanding that they are dirty and unhygienic. They take care of us, they are social animals.
“We expect this to happen. We are working with the Turkish search and rescue team to organize transportation as soon as an earthquake occurs.”
“We are the only organization dealing with this species. There are other organizations that train dogs.
“I hope this saves lives. The results are really promising.”
Source: Metro
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