EEK! 

That’s what some people say when they spot a rat. But folks in Cambodia are saying something more along the lines of Hallelujah!

Why? The rats are a big help . . . literally. They’re big. And they can help people find land mines—hidden explosives.

Most African giant pouched rats grow to be about 18 inches long and weigh just a bit more than three pounds. Their big, sniffy noses excel at finding TNT. (TNT is an explosive chemical compound.) When the rats sniff TNT, they move across fields toward their handlers. This tells the handlers what they’ve found.

Mott Sreymom is a rat handler. “While working with these rats, I have always found mines, and they have never skipped a single one,” she says. “I really trust these mine detection rats.” 

In the late l900s, Cambodia had three decades of war. Explosives littered the land. Many are still there. Half of all villages in Cambodia have a land mine problem. 

Dogs help find explosives in Cambodia too. “Dogs and rats are better compared to other animals because they are trainable,” says Alberto Zacarias. He is a field supervisor of dog teams. He adds that dogs are also friendly and learn commands fast. But dogs usually weigh more than rats. At their light weight, rats can scamper among mines without setting them off. 

Cambodia’s land mine cleanup started in 1992. Since then, more than 1.1 million mines have been cleared.

And the African giant pouched rats are doing their part.

“We work with them almost daily, so we get closer,” Ms. Mott says. 

Why? Because people are made in God’s image, we work hard to protect all human lives. In Cambodia, people have learned that rats can help too!

Recommended Reading: For more about rats, read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien.