Have we been too harsh on rats?

If you are anything like me, or just a normal person, then you will hate rats. Why would any sane person like these awful rodents? Even the English language isn't so favourable to these creatures: You dirty rat; I smell a rat; like a rat deserting a sinking ship.

Rats are seen as dirty, vicious and the spreaders of disease including the plague - which if you studied history you'll know caused the death of more than a third of Europe's population. Apparently a recent study (by rat lovers) has found that it was humans rather than rats that were responsible for the spread of the Black Death.  So maybe rats have been hard done to? I can't even believe I am slightly entertaining this notion. But for the sake of being fair let's weigh up some of the 'reported' things rats have been doing.

Today, in parts of Africa, rats are helping to save lives and fight disease. Doctors? Paramedics? No, rats. A University in Tanzania, trains rats to react to the scent of explosives, enabling landmines in countries including Tanzania, Mozambique and as far as Cambodia. The detection of landmines is usually an expensive business, and countries often lack resources to carry out the time-consuming and complicated work.
 

A human using a metal detector would take 25 hours to search a 200-sq-m area - a rat can do the same work in 20 minutes. A man who knows about all of this explains that not only are rats cheaper than dogs, (think women and gender pay gaps) they are also light enough that they don't set off the landmines. Shame.

Impressed? There's more; rats can even smell out the odour specific to tuberculosis. Every year, three million people infected by TB go undiagnosed and therefore do not receive the care they need. Another person who knows about this stuff says that these trained rats can screen 100 samples in 20 minutes - a task that would take a lab technician four days. I refuse to believe this nonsense - but maybe they're telling the truth.

Perhaps my strong dislike to these fuzzy demons is due to the fact that I have been raised within western culture. As rats are frequently depicted as the villain: The scourge of the town in the Pied Piper of Hamlin. The baby - eating intruders from Lady and the Tramp.  The rude and selfish Templeton from Charlotte's Web. Having said that, though, the rat has been afforded the chance to play the hero: The food-loving Remy from Ratatouille (I will never watch that movie). Roland Rat...


 

Not only are rats helping to save lives in some African countries - they're supposed to make good pets. Yes, some people keep these vile creatures as pets. And in their perpetual state of delusion they will advocate them. Pets4Homes points out that contrary to their reputation rats are "clean animals" and spend more time grooming themselves than cats. Regularly having their nails clipped, teeth whitened, tails brushed and whiskers cut. A woman named Rachel is the publicity officer for Yorkshire Rats Club and owner to a disturbing amount of rats. 15. This lady told a news organisation on a slow news day: "Rats are so affectionate and so in tune with their owners emotions." It is unknown if Rachel is indeed married or not. She continued by stating that when she had her appendix out one of her rats could sense she was unwell and instead of of trying to play as he usually does he sat quietly licking my hand. Blurgh!!

"You can teach them to do tricks - there is one woman who taught her rat to fetch her a tissue every time she sneezed." (I would have been more inclined to teach it to commit suicide).

I'm sorry, but rats are not PHD trained medics, nor are they compassionate, or heroes! As far as I am concerned - they will always be the most horrible of little animals!

Demola, TCC