Bomb-sniffing elephants? Not so nutty, US Army says
Source: Associated Press
Bomb-sniffing elephants? Not so nutty, US Army says
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press | March 11, 2015 | Updated: March 11, 2015 1:47pm
JOHANNESBURG (AP) Armed with a sharp sense of smell, dogs have a long history of detecting explosives for their human handlers. Trained rats sniff out land mines from old African wars. In Croatia, researchers have tried to train bees to identify TNT.
Now elephants. New research conducted in South Africa and involving the U.S. military shows they excel at identifying explosives by smell, stirring speculation about whether their extraordinary ability can save lives.
~ snip ~
Another plus: elephants remember their training longer than dogs, said Stephen Lee, head scientist at the U.S. Army Research Office, a major funder of the research.
The research comes as elephant populations across Africa are threatened. Poachers across the continent have annually killed tens of thousands of elephants for their tusks in recent years because of a surge in demand for ivory in Asia, primarily China.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Bomb-sniffing-elephants-Not-so-nutty-US-Army-6127639.php
forest444
(5,902 posts)It's not really related to the post, but I couldn't help myself. Raju, you might remember, was the Indian elephant freed by activists after 50 years of slavery and mistreatment.
Here he is, enjoying his well-deserved retirement:
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Judi Lynn
(160,663 posts)It was wonderful seeing this exploited, abused, tortured intelligent elephant without his chains which had embedded themselves in his flesh getting his own real space, always from beatings, hunger, neglect, indifference.
Thank fate good people finally stepped in and got him to safety, among friends for his latter days. I hope his former life will speed quickly out of his mind, and he can fully enjoy his new life without fear.
forest444
(5,902 posts)Elephants are like dogs. They all go to heaven.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)chknltl
(10,558 posts)Well resistance was futile...sorry. That said, I just can't imagine elephants with their entourage of handlers and pooper scoopers wondering around airport baggage areas or anywhere else for that matter looking for bombs. I am pretty sure that the next bomb sniffers will be mechanical anyway but that's just my opinion. Should the world ever be in need of a dog-treat sniffer, I got one sitting next to me whining to go out for a walk, (which we will do as soon as I post this).
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Fa loves Pa!
Sancho
(9,071 posts)Spirochete
(5,264 posts)that's a bonus...
PersonNumber503602
(1,134 posts)Submariner
(12,513 posts)Who is the mental midget that thinks bomb sniffing elephants is a great idea. What idiots
I can't imagine the pain the elephants are in. I would like to see elephants start crushing their torturers and handlers, then maybe we'll leave them in peace. People suck!
Judi Lynn
(160,663 posts)Learning others suffer from sadistic, evil wars. beyond even people surely puts it all into even sharper focus.
Thank you.
47of74
(18,470 posts)"You're not from the military are you? Trying to teach whales to retrieve torpedoes or some dipshit stuff like that?"
MADem
(135,425 posts)Response to MADem (Reply #11)
JustABozoOnThisBus This message was self-deleted by its author.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,380 posts)... into a blackhawk helecopter.
Lifting it under a Chinook would probably result in one unhappy elephant.
A rat can be carried in a jacket pocket.