SCMP Films: Cambodia’s Landmine-Hunting Rats

In Cambodia, over 19,000 people have been killed by landmines and explosives, and another 51,000 have been injured by these remnants of war. Wars and conflicts between 1971 and 1993 resulted in an estimated 6 million landmines being planted in the country. The pace of clearing this deadly legacy of war has picked up thanks to rats specially trained to sniff out and detect TNT explosives inside landmines and unexploded bombs. The daunting task of clearing land so that farmers and communities can live safely is being led by Ouk Chan and his team of rat handlers with an NGO called APOPO – founded in Belgium as Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling or "Anti-Personnel Landmines Removal Product Development".

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