Reports received from Wall Street Journal revealed that, African giant pouched rats are being used to detect landmines in former war zones in Tanzania.

According to the report published today, apart from detecting landmines, the rats are also trained to detect tuberculosis in sputum samples more accurately than local lab tests and identify criminals trying to smuggle endangered species.

Kelly Marnewick, a senior trade officer at South Africa’s Endangered Wildlife Trust,  which is working with Apopo, a non-profit organisation that breeds and trains the rats said ‘‘Rats often get a bit of a bad rap and they save human lives.’’

More trained rats are set to be sent to Angola Cambodia, Mozambique or Colombia.