The giant rats sniffing out unexploded landmines in a war-torn nation - The rats are about the same size as a Chihuahua ...

Rats may send some squealing, but in Cambodia, teams of the not-so-little critters have become indispensable in helping ...

Rats may send some squealing, but in Cambodia, teams of the not-so-little critters have become indispensable in helping ...

In Cambodia, African giant pouched rats are being used to detect land mines, thanks to their strong sense of smell. Trained ...

A rat with the Apopo organization looks for land mines. APOPO/James Pursey. To graduate from training, the rats must clear an area without missing any mines. Then the real work begins, ...

African giant pouched rats use their acute sense of smell to sniff out landmines and detect TB in sputum samples. Now, they are set to become search-and-rescue specialists too.

Non-profit APOPO is training African giant pouched rats to help in the global fight against the multi-billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade. Here, a rat on a lead searches for concealed wildlife ...

For training purposes, the rats are using a simple pull-switch on a vest, but in collaboration with the Eindhoven University of Technology, APOPO is developing a 3D-printed backpack for the project.

African giant pouched rats use their acute sense of smell to sniff out landmines and detect TB in sputum samples. Now, they are set to become search-and-rescue specialists too.

African giant pouched rats use their acute sense of smell to sniff out landmines and detect TB in sputum samples. Now, they are set to become search-and-rescue specialists too.

The rat is then rewarded with a treat, usually a banana-avocado smoothie or a handful of peanuts. (Each year, Apopo’s giant rats go through some 25,000 bananas, ...

Apopo isn’t the only organization training rats, but it claims to be the only one whose rats are already working. And it is certainly the first to attempt to train them in search and rescue.