Towards a mine-free future

Landmines not only cause tragic accidents, they also hold back a country’s development: affected communities do not have access to fertile land, important routes or vital institutions. In the province of Uíge in the north of Angola,  the APOPO “HeroRATs” traced 21 landmines, 10 unexploded shells and 778 small arms in 2017 alone. A team of mine-clearers subsequently destroyed the life-threatening instruments of war and released 391'023m² of land for safe and productive use. 6‘553 affected families can now live their lives without fearing the consequences of a landmine explosion.

Simple, fast and versatile

The APOPO “HeroRATs” do not weigh enough to trigger landmines and they are very quick at finding them: one rat alone can check an area of 200m² in only twenty minutes. For their activity as tracking animals they undergo 9 months of smell training. They are used to discover mines in seven other countries besides Angola. APOPO also deploys the rats for other tracing projects: in saliva samples their sensitive noses are quickly able to recognise tuberculosis and thus make an important contribution to combating the biggest infectious disease on the planet.

Project support

The Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation supports APOP in 2017 and 2018 with a financial contribution of CHF 100’000.– each year and with CHF 90’000.– in 2019.
In 2020 an additional contribution of CHF 30’000 is granted for the ongoing project to cover additional costs arising as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.