ECR

From ferret electricians to land mine-sniffing rats – these animals work for a living

Sometimes, people and animals work together and benefit equally. They can make good teams. Let's see some examples.

Bat Librarians 

The Joanina Library in Portugal is known for its bats, says António Maia do Amaral. Amaral works at the library. Two small groups of bats live there, Amaral says. They've been there for many years. In the 1700s, the library ordered big, leather sheets from Russia. Every night, the sheets are still put out. They protect the tables from bat droppings. Some people believe bats eat bugs in the library. These bugs could hurt the books. No one has confirmed this. Amaral says the bats have lived there peacefully, but they may not do much for the books. The library has a special room to clean the books.

Ferret Electricians 

"Ferrets are ... nosy, little devils," says James McKay of the National Ferret School. He says that they like to go through holes. They want to see what's at the other end. Felicia the ferret worked in a science lab in Illinois. Three ferrets — Beckham, Posh and Baby — helped wire a large building in England. How do ferrets wire things? They wear a harness that's tied to a long string. After a ferret goes through a pipe with the string, the string is tied to a rope to pull the wire through. The ferrets do need some training. Mostly, they use their love of exploring holes. "We've never had one get halfway and decide to come back," McKay says.

Rat Mine Sniffers 

The group Apopo works with African rats. The rats help get rid of mines in Asia and Africa. A mine is an object put in the ground or water. It blows up when touched. Why are rats so good at this job? They're smart and friendly. They can smell really well, says Lily Shallom from Apopo. The rats can smell a very small bit of exploding material. When the rats find a mine, they scratch the ground. They're not heavy enough to set off a mine. None of them have been hurt while working. They only work 20 to 30 minutes a day. The rest of the time, they play, eat, and sleep.

Birds That Look For Honey

Honeyguides are small, brown birds. They live in Africa. They help people find bee hives. People use smoke to make the bees leave and take the honey. The birds then eat what they like best: beeswax.