APOPO Mine Action in Cambodia

Danger!! Mines!! - The APOPO Visitor Centre allows the public to see how the HeroRATS have trained with a live demonstration of how mine detection is carried out. At the Centre are various items such as different coloured poles to warn citizens, a c

Danger!! Mines!! - The APOPO Visitor Centre allows the public to see how the HeroRATS have trained with a live demonstration of how mine detection is carried out. At the Centre are various items such as different coloured poles to warn citizens, a checkpoint tent and the notorious “Danger!! Mines!!” sign from the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC). Unfortunately, these signs are seen in many villages where farmers, families and children must steer clear of the area before APOPO and CMAC clear the zone. Siem Reap 20th January 2018 Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

APOPO HeroRATs - With names like Victoria, Cletus, Fredrick, Isaac and Magawa, these giant furry creatures are determined to find any traces of TNT explosives underground. Starting their work in the early morning hours at the training grounds locate

APOPO HeroRATs - With names like Victoria, Cletus, Fredrick, Isaac and Magawa, these giant furry creatures are determined to find any traces of TNT explosives underground. Starting their work in the early morning hours at the training grounds located in the rural areas of the Siem Reap province, these curious rats utilise their superior sense of smell to detect hidden landmines and UXOs. Siem Reap Province 21st January 2018. Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Sophea Mao - 31-year-old Sophea Mao has worked alongside APOPO and the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) for the past three years. Now a Mine Detection Rat (MDR) handler, she continues training, working alongside the giant Gambian pouched ‘HeroRAT

Sophea Mao - 31-year-old Sophea Mao has worked alongside APOPO and the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) for the past three years. Now a Mine Detection Rat (MDR) handler, she continues training, working alongside the giant Gambian pouched ‘HeroRATS’. The rats are cared for exceptionally well and cost an average of 6,000 euros each. A morning sunscreen ritual is conducted to protect their ears and tail. Siem Reap Province 21st January 2018. Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Ms Kem Minea - 21-year-old Kem Minea continues with daily house duties such as washing the clothes and the dishes outdoors. Her home is in the Knar Pthoul Village in the Sre Nouy commune, Varin District, in Siem Reap Province. Thanks to the APOPO te

Ms Kem Minea - 21-year-old Kem Minea continues with daily house duties such as washing the clothes and the dishes outdoors. Her home is in the Knar Pthoul Village in the Sre Nouy commune, Varin District, in Siem Reap Province. Thanks to the APOPO team with the rats and CMAC’s help, this area is now safer for the citizens to continue living and cultivating the land without fear of hidden UXOs and landmines. Siem Reap Province 23rd January 2018 Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Smells like TNT - It starts with a few sniffs in the air, and then suddenly, before you realise it, a giant Gambian pouched rat has discovered an underground landmine. Some unexploded ordinances (UXOs) and landmines have been hidden for nearly three

Smells like TNT - It starts with a few sniffs in the air, and then suddenly, before you realise it, a giant Gambian pouched rat has discovered an underground landmine. Some unexploded ordinances (UXOs) and landmines have been hidden for nearly three decades in the Stae Pou village, Srae Noy commune, Varin district, Siem Reap Province. Discovered on the 18th of September 2010, this minefield is still, to this day, being cleared by the APOPO and CMAC teams. Thanks to the HeroRATS, with their keen sense of smell and extensive training, these rats are experts in detecting traces of TNT, whether from plastic or metal mines. Siem Reap Province (Stae Pou village, Srae Noy commune, Varin district) 22nd January 2018 Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Thoeun Theap - 40-year-old Thoeun Theap is APOPO’s Mine Detection Rat supervisor. Born in the Siem Reap province in 1977, his father was killed during Pol Pot’s regime at the hands of the Khmer Rouge when he was just one week old. His work revolves

Thoeun Theap - 40-year-old Thoeun Theap is APOPO’s Mine Detection Rat supervisor. Born in the Siem Reap province in 1977, his father was killed during Pol Pot’s regime at the hands of the Khmer Rouge when he was just one week old. His work revolves around APOPO and CMAC’s mine detection and removal projects throughout Cambodia with the HeroRATS. Siem Reap Province (Knar Phtoul Village, Sre Nouy commune, Varin District) 23rd January 2018 Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Mr Soeun Seyla - 25-year-old Soeun Seyla takes a moment to sit on the steps of a house under the mercy of shade after helping crew members organise and carry out the detonation of 12kgs of explosives under the bright Cambodian sun. The explosion was

Mr Soeun Seyla - 25-year-old Soeun Seyla takes a moment to sit on the steps of a house under the mercy of shade after helping crew members organise and carry out the detonation of 12kgs of explosives under the bright Cambodian sun. The explosion was conducted was a wide area of borrowed land. Siem Reap Province (Knar Phtoul Village, Sre Nouy commune, Varin District) 23rd January 2018 Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Live Explosions - One of the APOPO and CMAC crewmembers rolls up the remaining wire from a detonation of 12 kilograms of TNT explosives. After the HeroRATS have detected the landmines and UXOs. If the mines are stable enough, the team safely stores

Live Explosions - One of the APOPO and CMAC crewmembers rolls up the remaining wire from a detonation of 12 kilograms of TNT explosives. After the HeroRATS have detected the landmines and UXOs. If the mines are stable enough, the team safely stores them, and during the next few days, the mines are combined with others to have a live explosion. Siem Reap Province (Knar Phtoul Village, Sre Nouy commune, Varin District) 23rd January 2018 Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Reflecting - After the APOPO and CMAC team detonate the explosives, they all take a moment to have a short break before returning to their local headquarters. Mine Detection Rat supervisor Thoeun Theap reflects on his team’s effort for the day. Havi

Reflecting - After the APOPO and CMAC team detonate the explosives, they all take a moment to have a short break before returning to their local headquarters. Mine Detection Rat supervisor Thoeun Theap reflects on his team’s effort for the day. Having worked for CMAC and APOPO for up to a decade, Thoeun discusses that the communities feel happy that they can freely access the land without fearing landmines. As a result of APOPO’s past work, children in many provinces can go to school, and there is less concern for their safety now that the landmines are being removed and fewer accidents occur. Siem Reap Province (Knar Phtoul Village, Sre Nouy commune, Varin District) 23rd January 2018 Photo by Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza / Alexandra Mendoza Media / ARGUS

Images by: Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza

The story was written by: Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza and Sara Goddard

Multimedia Documentary Film (Footage and Stills) by: Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza, Chantal Hallam, Dr Kelly McIlvenny, Lily Mitchell, and Sara Goddard

It starts with a few sniffs in the air, and then suddenly, before you realise it, a giant Gambian pouched rat has discovered an underground landmine. Once the brave de-miners uncover the landmines, the dangerous explosive is revealed as peacefully nestled in the ground. Some unexploded ordinances (UXOs) and landmines have been hidden for nearly three decades.

During that time, many innocent people have felt the aftermath of the war that first started with Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, and the genocide of the Cambodian people. The new generation of Cambodians in the city no longer live in fear of landmines. However, it’s a different story in the villages throughout the various provinces. To this day, farmers and families have two choices; die from starvation or risk losing a limb to a hidden landmine. Considering the number of amputees in Cambodia, the question is rhetorical. Even those who have lost a limb from a landmine must continue to work to survive.

To reduce the number of incidents throughout Cambodia and in other countries such as Laos and Angola, the government’s largest demining operator in the country, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) has continued their partnership with APOPO (which stands for Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling – Dutch for Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection.

APOPO is a non-government organisation (NGO) that uses Mine Detection Rats (MDRs) to sniff out landmines. These rats are well suited for this job because of their superior sense of smell and weight. MDRs usually weigh between 1.2 to 1.5kg, nothing near the 5kg needed to set off a mine. They are so efficient that they can cover 200m2 within 20 minutes, whereas a metal detector would take up to 4 days. Another benefit of the MDRs over metal detectors is that the MDRs are only searching for the scent of TNT, which is found in all mines, whether they are made from plastic or metal. On the other hand, the metal detector can only find metal which often leads to pieces of scrap metal, such as spoons, jewellery being found, as well as mines.

First trained in Tanzania, the $6,000 MDRs reach Cambodia only once they’ve met the stringent requirements. Ongoing training for a MDR lasts for another year to prepare them for the fields of Cambodia. The MDRs in training are first exposed to clicker training, where they are conditioned to the noise, and elements also include background noises such as cars, bikes and being used to spending time with people. While this occurs, the rat is given a treat for responding to the clicker each time, and they will soon associate the noise of a ‘click’ with food.

Following this is scent discrimination, where the smell of TNT is introduced along with non-TNT odours. At first, the scent is powerful, but as training continues, it is gradually reduced, and the rat must work harder to find it, increasing their accuracy. Then they work in soil trays in different environmental conditions, searching for the TNT positive smells.

When the rat pauses and hovers above a location where the scent of TNT is coming from, it’ll display a sign, such as scratching the ground, grooming, smelling the air and others. Therefore, each rat has a different signature sign, and once the target is accurately found, a ‘click’ goes off, and a treat is soon scoffed down. The MDRs can rapidly distinguish between positive and negative TNT smells in a short time frame.

Taken to a training field with pre-marked 200m2 sections of land where the trainers know the locations of the TNT-laced-deactivated mines are buried, the MDRs are trained as though it’s the real deal, and on-queue, the rat will show its signature sign of scratching or sniffing. If accurate, one of the trainers utilises the clicker, and the rat is immediately rewarded, generally with a banana, upon returning to the trainer.

This further conditions the rats to associate traces of TNT with a reward. The rat must be accredited before being sent to the minefields to search for live mines. In the final test, the rat must have 100% accuracy; if one mine is missed, it fails. On an actual minefield, missing a mine means risking the life or safety of a person. If the rat passes, it is then sent to its country of operation, where they are re-tested by local authorities to prove their efficiency and suitability. If successful, they start work on the real minefields.

When searching for mines, two handlers accompany each rat. The rat wears a harness, which connects to two pieces of rope; one is wrapped around each handler’s leg to create a trail for the rat to follow. The handlers hold the other end of the rope to guide the rat in each direction gently. The rat methodically combs each inch of ground in search of TNT.

APOPO works closely with CMAC to clear out several mine-riddled areas. Once a rat has signalled it has discovered a mine, a CMAC de-miner comes in and very carefully removes the mine; if stable enough, the mines are carefully stored to be detonated, with a collection of other explosives, the next day.

With the current resources that APOPO has, they can only prioritise the high-risk areas first. This results in other regions and projects being pushed further behind. At this rate, it is estimated that a mine-free Cambodia will be accomplished within the next 20 years.

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