A project that could change the way disaster relief operations are carried out was unveiled in Antalya. Specially trained African rats, called “hero rats”, will be used to search for people buried under rubble after earthquakes and other disasters, Demiroren Agency (DHA) reports. The project is being implemented jointly by the Muratpaşa Municipality, the GEA Search and Rescue Association and the Belgian organization APOPO. For the first time in the world, Antalya will be the place where these animals will begin real training to participate in rescue missions.
Muratpaşa Mayor Ümit Uysal said he hoped the rats would never have to be used, but stressed that the spirit of the project and the progress made were extremely encouraging for a country that often faces natural disasters. The rats were brought from Tanzania and already have serious “experience” – they have so far participated in the detection of anti-personnel mines and in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Now they will be trained to find living people under rubble, using their exceptional sense of smell and their ability to move quickly in tight spaces. The head of the GEA team, Erkan Ataker, explained that the idea was born from the question: “Why not have another chance?” When there is no sound, no sign of dogs and thermal cameras do not give results, these small but extremely mobile animals can prove decisive.
Neuroscientist and program manager Daniel Jonjrosso from APOPO emphasized that the rats will wear special equipment with a camera and two-way communication. Thus, they will not only signal about discovered people, but also transmit a picture from inside the rubble, as well as allow communication with survivors. As part of the project, six African marsupials were brought to Turkey – five males and one female, named Joe, Caruso, Wagner, Billy, Kiria and Daniel. They will continue their training in Muratpaşa, in a specially designated area with spaces for training and maintaining their physical fitness.
Ankara University, through its Faculty of Agriculture, is also actively involved in the project, which scientists say has the potential to open “new doors” in both rescue activities and the training of animals for socially beneficial purposes. “This is a project that inspires hope and broadens horizons,” Mayor Ümit Uysal summed up. “Hopefully we will never have to rely on it, but the reality of disasters obliges us to be prepared,” he concluded.
Arama-kurtarmada ‘Kahraman Fareler’ erami Antalya’da ve ılk olan projeyle 6 Afrika keseli sıçanı, enkaz elaşırinda hayat kurtaracak pic.twitter.com/ilD2LKjVV7 — Halk TV (@halktvcomtr) January 8, 2026
Illustrative Photo by IRINA LYADOVA: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-person-touching-a-black-rat-8891138/
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