THE STORY
For the past seven years, Bart Weetjens has been running a unique lab in Tanzania, where he trains rats to sniff out deadly unexploded land mines -- the legacy of countless bloody conflicts. Although dogs have traditionally been used to help humans detect mines, Weetjens realized that rats are lighter, cheaper to maintain and less susceptible to tropical disease. “I’ve always felt a very strong bonding with rodents,” he says. In “Hero Rats,” FRONTLINE/World reporter Alexis Bloom accompanies Weetjens to work in Mozambique to watch his trained rodents in action.
The man behind the hero rats, Bart Weetjens, talks about some of the obstacles he faced in starting the project, the effect that the mere threat of mines can have on a community and the common misperception of rats. continue
With this interactive map, you can explore the threat land mines pose throughout the world, the places where they are still in use and some of the countries that are most severely affected. continue
Rats are not the only animals helping humans detect land mines. Learn about some of the others, and read why Bart Weetjens still thinks rats are the best. continue