A giant African rat at the San Diego Zoo is showing off her sense of smell and improving the reputation of her fellow rats along the way. Runa, a Gambian Pouched Rat, is an ambassador for other 'Hero Rats' that are using their noses to spot illegally trafficked wildlife at ports of entry, landmines on the battlefield, and even humans in disaster recovery operations.

It’s through a Belgianbased nonprofit called APOPO, that Rona and other rats learned their skills. These moderately tiny (about three pounds) were trained by APOPO to sniff out a ‘target scent’ and alert their trainer once it does. The rats are then rewarded based on their discovery with favorite treats like avocado and banana. Although these rats have been successful in identifying landmines and even humans during recovery operations, the latest effort to train the rats in the scents of the most regularly smuggled and traffic animals is proving successful.

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