Meet the Giant Rats That Are Sniffing out Landmines
APOPO, an international nonprofit, has trained Gambian pouched rats to sniff out landmines in countries across the world. These rats have terrible vision, but an amazing sense of smell and have cleared over 13,000 mines since 1997. Training the rats takes about nine months, and includes socializing, teaching them how to walk on a rope […]
In Cambodia, Rats Are Being Trained To Sniff Out Land Mines And Save Lives
In Cambodia, demining rats have been trained to sniff out land mines, effectively identifying unexploded materials like landmines, bombs, and grenades. These two-foot-long Gambian pouched rats have an excellent sense of smell and are trained by Apopo – an international nonprofit – using bananas as a reward for finding TNT. While they are highly effective, […]
How giant African rats are helping uncover deadly land mines in Cambodia
Cambodia is littered with unexploded deadly land mines, posing a huge threat to people even decades after the conflict. In order to help locate and remove mines, a unique organization named Apopo trains rats to sniff them out. Rats have extremely sensitive noses and have found about 500 mines and more than 350 unexploded bombs […]
Rats are the world’s best land mine hunters
In countries like Cambodia, Angola, and Mozambique, rats are saving lives by detecting untriggered land mines. An international nonprofit, Apopo, provides funding a training and works with local organizations to operate at the local level. The rats are light enough that they don’t trigger the explosives and can cover up to 2,000 square feet in […]