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| A mouse is standing on the shoulder of a police officer during training. (AP) |
Lola and Espejo, two long-tailed, red-eyed mice, are being trained by the Colombian police to detect landmines. They are part of a specialized team of six experimental mice being prepared for dangerous missions.
These missions aim to dismantle over 100,000 unexploded bombs scattered throughout rural Colombia after four decades of conflict between the government and rebels.
Unlike dogs, each mouse weighs less than 0.3 kilograms, and “will not trigger any explosions if they accidentally step on a mine,” said Col. Javier Cifuentes, director of the Sibate Police Academy, where this specialized training takes place.
To graduate, the mice must undergo a rigorous daily training regimen for a year, where they are placed in a maze with C-4 explosives and various bomb-making materials. When they identify a target, they are rewarded with cookies to nibble on and a gentle stroke behind their ears.
According to trainers, the mice can locate explosives in 83% of cases. However, they estimate that the success rate will reach 100% after another six months of training, and these “special police” will be deployed on missions.
Cifuentes believes that Colombia is the first country to use mice for police work, although larger rodents are being used for similar purposes in Sudan.
Government statistics indicate that Colombia has the highest number of landmine casualties in the world, with nearly a quarter of these individuals having died.
T. An
