Azerbaijan to use "life-saving" rats to sniff out deadly landmines

Azerbaijan to involve rats in demining the liberated territories along with dogs.

Azertag reports that within the framework of the project "Supporting the Safe Return of IDPs by Enhancing the Capacity of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA)", funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with ANAMA, the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) and the Mine Advisory Group, the establishment of Azerbaijan's first female demining teams has begun.

Training has begun to form the first teams. The training takes place at the Terter Regional Vocational Training Centre of the International Eurasian Press Fund (IEPF). Forty women selected from different regions of the country take part in the training according to the announced contest. There are plans to set up 2 women's sapper teams as part of the project.

The newly acquired rats and dogs for demining work were also presented during the event.

It should be noted that, since the late 1990s, experts around the world have been using the olfactory ability of rats to search for mines. The first such experiment was conducted in Tanzania, where Gambian rats were trained to look for mines.

None of the rats used so far in the search for mines have been harmed.

The rats detect chemical explosives. When a rat finds an explosive, it starts digging the ground with its paw to alert the people working in the team.

The rats' low weight protects them from the danger of explosion.

Armenian mine terror

The Karabakh and East Zangazur regions of Azerbaijan have been heavily mined by Armenia’s forces since the 1990s. Following the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, Armenia launched a full-blown military assault against Azerbaijan. The bloody war continued until a ceasefire was signed in 1994, resulting in Armenia’s occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories. During the war, over 30,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, and one million were forced to flee their homes in a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign conducted by Armenia.

On September 27, 2020, the decades-old conflict between the two countries reignited after Armenia’s forces deployed in occupied Azerbaijani lands shelled military positions and civilian settlements of Azerbaijan. During the counter-attack operations that lasted 44 days, Azerbaijani forces liberated over 300 settlements, including the cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, and Shusha, from the Armenian occupation. The war ended with the signing of a tripartite statement on November 10, 2020, by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, under which Armenia also returned the occupied Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan.

Since the end of hostilities, the Azerbaijani government has been carrying out demining operations in the liberated territories to expedite the return of internally displaced Azerbaijanis to their homes. Despite extensive efforts, demining operations face many challenges due to Armenia’s refusal to hand over maps displaying the locations of the landmines.

The Azerbaijani National Agency for Mine Action reported that the maps provided by Armenia were just 2 per cent effective in mine action. According to the Azerbaijani government data, international experts estimate it will take nearly 30 years and $25 billion to solve issues related to demining.