Aw, Rats!

Rats have a bad rap. They’re often thought of as filthy creatures that spread diseases. HeroRats are changing that. 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, the organization that trains these animals, has been working in 10 countries for the past 25 years. Its efforts in the African countries Tanzania and Ethiopia help detect cases of tuberculosis (TB). This deadly infectious disease is sometimes missed by doctors.

APOPO hosts exhibits around the world to educate the public about these life-saving rodents. In August, TFK Kid Reporter Leonardo Popovic visited an APOPO rat ambassador × ambassador representative (noun) at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in California.

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

Super Sniffers

African pouched rats have a strong sense of smell. They are also easy to train. They’re “super adaptable × adaptable able to change (adjective) animals,” Marco Wendt told TIME for Kids. Wendt is a wildlife ambassador at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The rats’ adaptations make them ideal for detection work. They begin training at about 10 weeks old. They’re trained on target scents, such as that of 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 fail-safe, or backup. They double-check patient samples. According to APOPO, in 2025, more than 2,500 TB cases that were missed by health facilities in Tanzania were identified by HeroRats. Without the rats, these patients might not have been treated. And the detection helped stop the disease from spreading. Wendt says, “These guys are called hero rats for a lot of good reasons.”