How do Cambodians eliminate landmines?


If you visit Siem Reap, Cambodia, you have to visit the Apopo Visitor Center, which houses African pouch rats that are used to discover landmines. It’s estimated that 75% of mines have been cleared, but 25% remain. The rats follow a leash making passes in a grid pattern, and signal by scratching the soil or sand. It takes a minimum of 5 kilograms weight to trigger a mine, and the rats only weigh 1 to 1.5 kilograms.

The highlight of the tour was holding a rat named Nina. You have to wash your hands and arms before holding the rat. Nina was very calm and licked my arm. Lucy also held Nina as did a few others in our group. It’s estimated that it costs 6,000 euros to house, feed, and transport each rat per year. The Center is highly organized and sophisticated. It was nice to see something uplifting after visiting a killing field and a Khmer Rouge prison. Under Pol Pot, an estimated 3 million Cambodians were tortured and murdered from 1975-79, including children, whose heads were bashed against killing trees to save on bullets. Often this was done in front of the child’s mother.


Our tuktuk driver waited for us while we visited the Apopo Center, and then dropped us at a killing field memorial, which seemed designed for tourists. We didn’t really learn anything new, but the horror was reinforced.


It’s noon and very hot. I am constantly drinking water and other beverages. Lucy wants to take a stroll and get a bite to eat, so we will head out shortly and will be soaked with sweat. Lucy’s new friend (mine too), Mattias, joined us at the Apopo Center, and we will have dinner with him later.

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