Cambodia

Rats, Mines, and Medals: My Wild Day with the Heroes of Siem Reap

Siem Reap, land of ancient temples, tuk-tuks, and—wait for it—rats that save lives.

We’re not talking about the kind of rats that scurry through the sewers in New York City or gnaw through your Wheetbix boxes. No, these are HeroRats—adorable, whiskered warriors on a mission to sniff out landmines. And today, I’m standing outside the APOPO HeroRat Centre, where these little guys are the stars of the show. My wife, however, is doing everything she can to stay as far away as possible.

"You're going in there alone," she declares, eyeing the entrance like it's the gateway to hell. She’s got a point. Rats aren’t exactly the kind of creatures you’d expect to be welcomed into an air-conditioned building with fanfare. But here in Siem Reap, these rats are more celebrated than the Kardashians at a Botox convention.

Inside, I’m greeted by a friendly guide who starts telling me about the heroics of a little rodent named Magawa. Now, if you’ve ever thought your cat was impressive for bringing you a dead bird, let me tell you, Magawa makes Garfield look like a slacker. This rat—who, mind you, weighed in at a hefty 1.5 kg—sniffed out nearly 150,000 landmines in his career. Yes, you heard that correctly. One rat. 150,000 explosives. Suddenly, my lack of interest in doing laundry feels a little less forgivable.

I’m led to a small observation area where the HeroRats do their thing. The guide, with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely loves their job, explains how these rats are trained. "These are African giant pouched rats from Tanzania," she says, leading me toward the training area. "They’re light enough that they won’t set off landmines, but they have an incredible sense of smell. They’re trained to detect TNT, and when they do, they scratch at the ground to let us know they’ve found something."

It's not like they’re out there defusing bombs with tiny wire cutters; they’re not James Bond in fur coats. Instead, they’re using their incredible sense of smell to detect TNT in landmines, earning their breakfast one sniff at a time.

I’m watching one of these little rats named Ratana go to work. Ratana’s sniffing around, stopping every now and then like he’s just caught a whiff of something interesting. And when he finds a landmine? He scratches at the ground, signaling his human handler to step in and deal with the nasty little surprise buried underneath. It’s like the world’s most dangerous game of hide-and-seek, and these rats are undefeated champions.

My guide tells me about the impact these rats have had on landmine detection in countries like Cambodia. They’ve saved countless lives by clearing areas that were once no-go zones. And while traditional methods of mine detection are slow and expensive, these rats are getting the job done quicker and cheaper. Who knew that something so tiny could have such a huge impact? It’s enough to make you rethink every bad thing you’ve ever said about rats.

Meanwhile, I can’t help but imagine what my wife is doing outside. Probably Googling “Rats in Siem Reap” and ordering an industrial-strength can of Raid for when I get back. But she’s missing out. Because as much as rats might give her the creeps, these HeroRats are absolute legends. The GOAT of rats, Magawa even received a medal for his life-saving bravery!

As I leave the Centre, I find my wife standing a good 50 feet from the entrance, arms crossed and foot tapping. "So, how was it?" she asks, still clearly not sold on the whole idea of rat heroics.

"Incredible," I say, trying to downplay the fact that I’m a little starstruck by a rodent. "You missed out on meeting the rat equivalent of Superman."
She rolls her eyes. "I’ll take your word for it. But if you start bringing rats home as pets, we’re going to have a problem."

Fair enough. But as we walk away from the APOPO Centre, I can’t help but think about the lives these rats have saved and continue to save. They might not be the cuddliest creatures around, but they’re doing a job that’s both vital and dangerous. And if that doesn’t earn them a bit of respect, I don’t know what does.

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