Apopo NGO in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Today in Siem Reap, Cambodia, we went on a tour of a non-profit organization called Apopo where they train HeroRats and HeroDogs. Currently over 60 countries around the world are contaminated with hidden landmines and other explosives. The rats and dogs are also able to sniff out tubulocus, tuberculosis or TB is a highly infectious bacterial disease affecting the lungs, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuburlocus has killed over 1.3 million people this year and over 10.3 million people have been contracted with Tuberlocus in 2023. TB is found in over 11 countries including Cambodia, Ukraine, Angola, Mozambique, Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, and Senegal. 

The organization Apopo was started by a Belgian man and they use African giant pouched rats. The reason they use this specific type of rat is because this specific type of rat has an amazing sense of smell. They are also easy to train to sniff out the explosives and they are light enough so they don't set the explosives off. The rats are rewarded with bananas as treats and kept in air-conditioned 5 star resorts since they don't like the heat. The handlers also put sunscreen on the ears, paws, and tails of the rat to protect them from the sun. These rats work in the fields from 4am-9am when the weather is cool. The HeroDogs used are breeds like Malinois and Dutch Shepards. They are trained to serve as technical survey dogs to clear overgrown areas for landmines and explosive war remnants. 

When we arrived we learned that land mines are still a big issue in Cambodia, it is the most heavily mined country in the world. Many undetonated bombs continue to kill, maim, and injure civilians. When we walked through the center, we read and learned about what this organization does and how they train the rats and dogs. We actually got to see a demonstration of how the rats work and how the handlers worked with the rats.The rats wear a harness connected to ropes that are connected to the handlers (the handlers are the ones who guide the ropes). So we saw when the rat detected the scent of TNT, it started to scratch at the ground and then it was rewarded with a piece of banana. It was fun to watch and it was even better when at the end, we got to briefly hold the rat. It was softer than I expected and it was tired since it just woke up from a nap.

I really enjoyed learning all the information and I think this place is a must do if you are in Siem Reap, Cambodia.