You’ve probably heard of bomb-sniffing dogs, but did you know that rats can also perform this task?Anna’s Adventures on TikTok shared a fascinating video from her trip to Cambodia, where she learned that some heroes have tails. During her travels, she got to meet Valerie, a large rat with even bigger responsibilities! This critter is helping people find and remove landmines from the ground.
“In Siem Reap there is a place to visit that shows you how Herorats work detecting landmines,” wrote the TikToker in her caption. “APOPO are an NGO that operate in Cambodia, training giant African rats just like Valerie to detect the scent of TNT in the ground.”
According to her post, landmines are a huge threat in Cambodia. Thanks to bomb-sniffing rats like Valerie, though, these explosives are being dealt with. On their website, APOPO writes that these animals can help people locate hidden landmines more efficiently. Whereas metal detectors will pick up the presence of a variety of objects, explosive or not, rats can be trained to sense TNT exclusively.
“Yes Hero rats!!!” one commenter wrote on the TikTok video. “And not just any rat, these are from a certain place because they’re light enough not to set off the landmines.”
“You can cuddle Hero Rats?” another user said. “Okay adding it to my animal based bucket list.”
Rats sometimes get a bad reputation, but these incredible, bomb-sniffing creatures really deserve our gratitude!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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