Adrian’s a HeroRAT, the nickname for the African giant pouched rat being used by APOPO to help clear minefields in Cambodia of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines and unexploded ordinance, the dangerous detritus of Cambodia’s troubled past.
Why use rats? They live for 6 -8 years, are highly intelligent, readily available and are easy to train. They have an amazing sense of smell and in 9 months can be trained to detect TNT; after training they are deployed into the field and because the rats only detect TNT, they can search faster than an operator with a metal detector. For example, a HeroRAT can search an area the size of a tennis court in 30 minutes – a human operator using a metal detector could take up to 4 days. At the moment there are 35 such rats working in Cambodia.
I visited the APOPO visitor centre in Siem Reap (https://www.apopo.org/en/contact-us/APOPO-Visitor-Center) recently and was fascinated by the whole process. A rat weighs approximately 1.5 kg which makes it an ideal animal to work in a minefield where anti-personnel mines are set off with a downward weight in excess of 5 kg. Rats work with two handlers on a parcel of land which is carefully marked out. The rat passes from one side to the other, from one handler to the other and when they detect TNT they scratch the ground and the area is then marked carefully; a human operator will confirm the presence of a mine and it will be made safe.
The data for APOPO’s work in 2017 is 8 minefields completed, a total area of 739,289 m2 searched, 79 landmines and 66 pieces of unexploded ordinance cleared with the number of beneficiaries being 6,122.
There are a number of other agencies working to clear Cambodia’s minefields such as the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, Halo Trust and the Mines Advisory Group. According to data from the Halo Trust, although 50% of Cambodia’s minefields have now been cleared, Cambodia remains one of the most landmine-affected populations in the world. The number of deaths in Cambodia caused by landmines and other ordinance from 1979 – 2016 is 19,748 and the number of injuries for the same period is 44,914. There are over 25,000 amputees – the highest ratio per capita in the world.
The majority of minefields are in rural areas particularly along the border with Thailand. Eighty per cent of the population of Cambodia live in rural areas and agriculture is the main activity and revenue stream for these people so the importance of mine clearance is glaringly obvious. Landmine free 2025 is a campaign launched in April 2017 by Prince Harry to fulfil the promise of the 1997 Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty to clear the world of landmines by 2025. If you are interested in lending your support to the campaign then visit the website http://www.landminefree2025.org/
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Wow, the information you are finding is a big benefit to staying longer rather than being a tourist for a short time. Thanks again.
Cambodia is such a fascinating place – there is so much to learn. It makes me realise how ignorant I am, I know so little about SE Asia, history, culture. Need another lifetime I think! xx