Mine Detection Rat (African Giant Pouched Rat / HeroRAT)
African giant pouched rats trained by APOPO, an NGO founded in Belgium. They use their excellent sense of smell to detect the scent of the explosives in landmines. Weighing only 1 to 1.3 kg, they are light enough that there is no risk of setting off a mine during a search — a major advantage. In Cambodia they work in partnership with CMAC and MAG.
Uses
CMAC started its mine detection rat (MDR) program in 2015 by receiving rats from Tanzania. As of December 2023, 42 rats organized into three MDR teams were working in Preah Vihear and Siem Reap provinces; they had released a total of 16,165,676 square meters of land and found and removed 667 landmines, 592 items of unexploded ordnance, and 60 cluster submunitions.
Features
The African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys ansorgei) is 25 to 30 cm long, weighs 1 to 1.3 kg, and lives 6 to 8 years. The rats are raised at a training facility in Tanzania, and only individuals that pass a "blind test" — in which only a third party knows where the targets are buried — are sent to Cambodia. On October 22, 2025, 24 new rats arrived: 20 were assigned to actual clearance operations and 4 to educational activities at the visitor center in Siem Reap.
Advantages
One rat can search an area the size of a tennis court in 20 to 30 minutes — an area that would take a human deminer with a metal detector up to four days. Because they react to the smell of explosives, they are not distracted by metal fragments; they are also inexpensive to keep, and their training carries over easily between handlers.
Challenges
They require long preparation — training, international transport, and accreditation tests — so the number of working rats is limited. They are strictly a means of detection: safe disposal after discovery is carried out by human specialist teams.
Sources & references
- Ref 0068