US EditionPhotos of the Giant Rats Leading Land Mine Detection Efforts in Cambodia
CAMBODIA, JUL 16 – APOPO’s African giant pouched rats detect TNT in landmines, aiding Cambodia’s demining where over 1.1 million mines have been cleared since 1992, officials say.
- On June 10, 2025, rat handlers with APOPO used African giant pouched rats to detect landmines in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
- This effort follows decades of conflict that left approximately 4,500 square kilometers contaminated with mines, according to a 2004 CMAA survey.
- Since official demining began in 1992, Cambodia has cleared over 1.1 million mines and about 2.9 million other explosive remnants by 2022, though nearly 1,970 square kilometers remain uncleared as of 2018.
- Handlers like Mott Sreymom attest that these rats, growing up to 45 centimeters and weighing up to 1.5 kilograms, reliably detect TNT in mines and are friendly and trainable.
- The continued use of these rats suggests they remain indispensable for Cambodia's ongoing demining challenges to reduce harm from unexploded ordnance.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Rats! Cambodia’s top land mine detector
SIEM REAP, Cambodia — Rats may send some squealing, but in Cambodia, teams of the not-so-little critters have become indispensable in helping specialists detect land mines that have killed and maimed thousands in the Southeast Asian country. The African giant pouched rats, which can grow up to 45 centimeters (around 18 inches) and weigh up […]...Keep on reading: Rats! Cambodia’s top land mine detector
For many, the brown-spotted rodents are repulsive, but for Mott Sreymom, a deminer in Cambodia, they are like family members. “They are very friendly. I trust the rats,” he says.
SIEM REAP— Rats may cause some screaming, but in Cambodia, teams of these not-so-small creatures have become indispensable to help specialists detect landmines that have killed and maimed thousands of people in South-East Asia. African giant rats, which can grow up to 45 centimeters (about 18 inches) and weigh up to 1.5 kilograms (more than 3 pounds), are on the front line, opening their way through the camps to alert their caregivers when they …
African giant rats, which can grow up to 45 centimeters and weigh up to 1.5 kilograms, are used to detect landmines by signaling when they smell the TNT charge used in most landmines and explosive devices, and have killed and maimed thousands of people in Cambodia.
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