What does a trained rat cost?
Rats have a definite cost advantage in terms of maintenance and care, duration of training, as well as kennel-and transport requirements, whereas their time span of operational efficiency is similar that of mine detection dogs. An exact cost calculation of the rodent mine detection technology will only be possible after relevant operational field experience over a period of time. However, at present we estimate that 5€ per month covers basic food, nutrition, and healthcare for one rat. If you factor in all the variables that go into training, evaluation, and care, it costs an average of 6,000 euro to fully train one mine detection rat. A direct comparison with dogs could be made if a detailed cost analysis of mine dog detection is available.
