Zeto has graduated from Land mine detection school!
Back in February my Veterans For Peace chapter adopted a Hero Rat. I got the email that he had taken his final test and passed with flying colours. It included a letter from Zeto.
His letter to us below the Fleur-de-Kos
Dear friend,
How is life in your part of the planet? Things here in Mozambique are wet! The rainy season is slowly starting to come to an end and the temperature is cooling off. I’m torn between hating the rainy season because the water and mud get all over my fur, or loving it because of the cooler weather. Such a difficult decision!
Getting a few training sessions in before my big test!
Anyway, I have the most exciting news to tell you! Finally, after waiting and waiting for the sky to clear and the rain to let up, I was given the opportunity to take my official Mine Detection Rat (MDR) accreditation test! The test is given by the National Institute of Demining in Mozambique and follows International Mine Action Standards. All of APOPO’s HeroRATs must pass this MDR test before going to work in the real minefields.
I knew that the test would not be easy, so I kept practicing my indications (scratching) in my cage and preparing myself mentally for the task at hand. I wasn’t the only one: seven of my furry colleagues were also pacing around their cages, gearing up for their accreditation test as well.
On test day, I was shaking in my whiskers! But luckily, a few friendly faces from Tanzania came and gave me some words of encouragement. Mark, Moudi, and Kombani, three Tanzanian trainers who have recently arrived to help with operations here, all reminded me that I had already taken three similar tests back in Tanzania, and passed them all. I soon felt silly for doubting myself, and my confidence was sky-high!
When it was my turn, I suited up in my harness and off I went! I methodically covered every square centimeter and indicated where I smelled TNT. It was all over in a flash!
While they were checking the results, I paced around my cage and waited patiently for the news. And guess what… I found all of the mines and didn’t falsely indicate once!
Enjoying my after work peanut!
Can you believe how far I’ve come since those early stages of socialization and click training? I am now internationally accredited as a landmine detection HeroRAT!
Now, you can find me hard at work in the Gaza Province along with my fellow HeroRATs. I may be still considered a rookie by the veteran HeroRATs, but I have accomplished my goal of working in the real minefields!
Well, my break-time is over and now I’m heading back out to the minefields with my hero colleagues to get down to business – helping to save lives and limbs!
As always, my work would not be possible without you. Thank you for believing in me and in the HeroRAT team. You may be surprised to hear, but not everyone thinks us rats can help humans. With your help, every day we are proving we can!
Love & sniffs,
Ziko the HeroRAT
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