Why rats are so useful in the search for landmines.
In April 2015, Cambodia tried something new. They brought in African giant pouched rats. These rats don't see very well. But they can quickly sniff out buried explosives. The rats are also very light. Their weight doesn't set off landmines.
What happens when a rat smells a landmine? It is trained to scratch the ground. Next, a team comes in. The team safely explodes the landmine. The rats search very quickly. They can cover a lot of ground. They're much faster than people who use metal detectors.
The rats have found more than 45,000 landmines. But Cambodia isn't in the clear yet. During the Vietnam War, the United States dropped millions of tons of bombs over Cambodia. Not all of them exploded. Fishermen sometimes catch live bombs in their nets. And hikers often find unexploded bombs and grenades.
The Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) and other groups work together. They work to rid Cambodia of all landmines and other unexploded weapons left behind after war.
Question 4
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The Article says:
In April 2015, Cambodia tried something new. They brought in African giant pouched rats. These rats don't see very well. But they can quickly sniff out buried explosives. The rats are also very light. Their weight doesn't set off landmines.
Why is this passage in the Article? It shows __________.
why there are so many landmines in Cambodia
that searching for landmines is very dangerous
that rats are faster than people who use metal detectors
why rats are so useful in the search for landmines
1 answer