Hero Rats

 

Millions of land mines were placed in Cambodia during the civil war by the Vietnamese and the brutal Khmer Rouge with a devastating impact on the people of Cambodia.  There have been over 65,000 deaths and 25,000 amputees since 1979.  Many of the dead are farmers working the land and children out playing.

These African Giant Pouch Rats are trained to sniff out the mines so they can be removed.   The rats are too light to set off the mine so they can continue working for years.  Since 2017 they have located over 4,500 mines and 36,000 bombs.