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In a laboratory on the grounds of a police-guarded complex, 11 white-furred rats wait their turn to impress trainers and perhaps receive a bit of sugar as reward.
The rodents could play an important role in making conflict-wracked Colombia safer.
They are in the final stages of a training program to find landmines that kill or injure hundreds of people each year in Colombia.
The government project began in 2006 and trains specially bred rats to detect the metals used in landmines, thousands of which have been laid during the country's decades-long conflict with left-wing guerrillas.
Colombian scientists decided to use rats because, like the dogs more traditionally used in landmine detection, they have a highly developed sense of smell. But the rats are lightweight and unlikely to detonate mines. The rats are first taught to recognize voice commands and the specific smells of metals used in landmines, and then to work in large, outdoor areas.
It has taken government scientists five generations of rats to be confident their training program is thorough enough to begin sending rats out into the countryside.
In the laboratory, an element of instinct has been built into the training, with baby rats scurrying after their mothers in plastic mazes during practice sessions. The mothers show their young how finding the dead end containing the same wires and metal pieces used in landmines can earn you a treat.
Experts say it is impossible to estimate the number of undetonated mines which remain in Colombia, but their impact is horrifyingly real.
In the first half of 2011, for example, mines killed 40 people and injured another 247, government statistics show. That compared with 535 dead and injured throughout 2010.
Experts confirm that most mines are planted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), other guerrilla groups and criminal gangs to deter security forces.
Questions:
1. When did the rat project begin?
2. How many people were killed by landmines in 2010?
3. What does FARC stand for?
Answers:
1. 2006.
2. 535.
3. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.
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