As an ambassador for rats, it's never easy to win over the public. But Runa at the San Diego Zoo has been charged with teaching people the virtues of rats.
SAN DIEGO — As an ambassador for rats, it’s never easy to win over the public. There’s that hairless tail, after all.
People are also reading… Six African rats completed their first trial working in the field in March, spending a month at a port in Tanzania where they were tasked with detecting smuggled goods, including Pangolins. The scaly anteater is coveted by poachers and is among the most trafficked animals in the world. Its meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and some parts of China, and its scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
On a recent day, her trainers hid small vessels of chamomile tea under the dirt in a box. As soon as she was released from her cage, Runa’s tiny nose was abuzz with twitching as she set out to work. Within seconds she had found all the vessels, and was racing over to suck on a syringe filled with a pellet-and-banana smoothie.
Izzy Szott, a behavioral research scientist at the Tanzania-based organization APOPO, which is training the rats to work for governments, said she was not surprised to hear rats had been named enemy No. 1, but she wants people to know the full picture. Her hope is having ambassador rats at renowned zoos, like San Diego’s, will lead to more understanding and support for rat research.
Szott said rats often “get a bad rap,” but that it’s important to “consider our responsibility towards the wildlife around us and that we share the planet with.” At their facility in Morogoro, Tanzania, Szott and the other researchers are also working on training the rats to someday aid in the detection of contaminated soil or help rescuers in finding people trapped under the rubble after earthquakes and explosions. The rats, which can be dispatched into hard-to-reach areas, have been outfitted with tiny vests with a pendant they can pull to send an alert to their handlers when they find a person.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
San Diego Police Dept. crime statistics reveal 7.5% decrease in 2022 -SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – SAN DIEGO (CNS) – City leaders announced today that overall crime in San Diego decreased last year by 7.5% — an upbeat trend tempered, however, by a 2.9% increase in violent offenses. “San Diego remains one of the safest big cities in the nation, and we can never take that for granted,” Police Chief David Nisleit...
Leer más »
San Diego County Ford dealers give one-hundred high school seniors $1,000 scholarships -SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The San Diego County Ford Dealers and Ford Motor Company executive will present 150 $1,000 scholarships to local high school seniors through the San Diego County Salute to Education scholarship program on Thursday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park. One lucky recipient will also win a...
Leer más »
San Diego Padres Hope Tatis Brings Energy, Maturity When PED Ban EndsEl Niño is coming and it could be quite the storm. On Thursday night at Arizona, Fernando Tatis Jr. will be announced as the leadoff hitter for the San Diego Padres and settle into a big league batter’s box for the first time since the last game of the 2021 season. One of baseball’s most electrifying players will return from an 80-game PED suspension that shocked and angered his teammates and an entire fan base. If a jaw-dropping power display during a rehab stint at Triple-A El Paso is any indication, the Padres will be getting back the player who was an All-Star in 2021.
Leer más »
Superstar San Diego Basketball Prospect Mikey Williams Enters Plea on Felony Firearm ChargesAccording to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, gunfire erupted just before midnight on March 27 following an argument “about guests in the house being asked to leave” Williams’ Jamul home.
Leer más »
San Diego Sector Border Patrol surpasses 100,000 illegal immigrant encounters this fiscal year -SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – With the release of updated statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol San Diego Sector (SDC) has eclipsed the 100,000-encounter mark. Furthermore, $21.1 million worth of fentanyl was found in a green bean shipment at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. From Oct. 1, 2022, to April 4, 2023, San Diego Sector agents...
Leer más »
Friday will be the hottest day in months across San Diego CountyA short-lived, high-pressure system will push the temperature to 78 in San Diego and into the mid-to-upper 80s across inland valleys and foothills.
Leer más »