Mine Detecting Rats Make an Impact in Cambodia by Cynthia D. Fast, Ph.D., Håvard Bach, Paul McCarthy, and Christophe Cox [ APOPO ]
D
espite decades of national and international mine ac-
animal detection methodology have enabled more reliable
tion efforts, Cambodia remains littered with land-
and effective land release. Moreover, with many of the large,
mines. The casualty rates are among the world’s
well-defined minefields cleared, technical survey will be es-
highest, and there is considerable socioeconomic damage
sential for effective land release of the vast number of poorly
1
from landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).
defined mine suspected areas remaining. Despite broad con-
Cambodia has established the goal to clear all known mine-
sent that more animals will expedite the land release process
fields by 2025. To achieve this, funding must be secured, and
in Cambodia, manual teams still disproportionately outnum-
land release rates must be increased. This can only be achieved
ber animals.
2
by taking advantage of available resources and improving land release methodology. The mine clearance capacity in Cambodia is largely com-
(MDR), previously deployed in Mozambique and currently
posed of manual demining teams and much smaller animal
active in Angola. Internal and external evaluations repeat-
detection units. Historical reasons fueled preference for man-
edly show that APOPO’s MDR are exceedingly reliable and
ual mine clearance; however, considerable improvements in
efficient.3–9 Yet, degrees of skepticism lurk within the mine
The APOPO MDR team in Siem Reap, Cambodia. All graphics courtesy of APOPO.
32
As a nongovernmental organization (NGO), APOPO is best known for its African giant pouched mine detection rats
SPOTLIGHT @ THE JOURNAL OF CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION
