Aw, Rats!

October 1, 2026

Candace Dipsey

A woman wearing a lab coat and gloves observes a rat inside an enclosed testing area. — TRAINING IN PROGRESS Charity Gayo, an APOPO trainer, works with a disease-detection rat in Morogoro, Tanzania. APOPO

Rats have a bad rap. They’re thought of as filthy creatures that spread disease. HeroRats are changing that reputation. These African pouched rats use their sense of smell to save lives. Instead of carrying a disease, they help detect and prevent its spread.

APOPO is the organization that trains these animals. It operates in 10 countries, including the African countries Tanzania and Ethiopia. It helps detect cases of tuberculosis (TB). This is a deadly infectious disease.

APOPO hosts exhibits around the world. In August, TFK Kid Reporter Leonardo Popovic visited the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in California. He met an APOPO rat ambassador ambassador a representative (noun) .

A child holding a clipboard watches as an adult demonstrates with a large rat on a grassy platform.

ON ASSIGNMENT Kid Reporter Leonardo learns about African pouched rats at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in California.

COURTESY VERONICA POPOVIC

Super Sniffers

African pouched rats have a strong sense of smell. And they’re easy to train. They’re “super adaptable adaptable able to change (adjective) animals,” Marco Wendt told TIME for Kids. He works at the Safari Park.

The rats’ adaptations make them ideal for detection work. Young rats are trained on target scents. One is TB. Trained rats can check 100 TB samples in 20 minutes. It might take a human lab tech four days to do the same.

Right now, the rats are being used as a backup. They double-check patient samples. According to APOPO, HeroRats detected more than 2,500 TB cases in Tanzania in 2025. These cases were missed by health facilities. Without the rats, the disease might have continued to spread. Wendt says, “These guys are called hero rats for a lot of good reasons.”