APOPO
An NGO founded in Belgium that finds landmines with trained African giant pouched rats called HeroRATs. The rats are so light that mines do not explode when they step on them, and they can quickly find explosives by smell. It has been active in Cambodia since 2014.
Activities
It combines mine detection rats that find landmines, technical survey dogs that confirm wide areas are safe, and manual and mechanical clearance to make minefields safe quickly. It also runs a visitor center in Siem Reap that introduces its work, and supports landmine survivors with prosthetic legs, mental care, and other assistance.
Achievements
It began working in 2014 in cooperation with the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), and expanded its activities to Oddar Meanchey province in 2019. (Target year: 2014) [Ref 0044]
In Cambodia, it has made more than 33 million square meters of land safe and found and destroyed more than 49,000 landmines and other dangerous items (cumulative total according to its official website as of 2026). (Target year: 2026) [Ref 0044]
More than 60 detection rats and dogs work in four provinces, with a team of more than 100 people, many of them recruited from communities affected by landmines (as of 2026). (Target year: 2026) [Ref 0044]