APOPO News

When summer settled over Ukraine’s mine-affected farmland earlier this year, the fields shimmered with tall grasses and wildflowers, and heat rose from the soil in soft, wavering lines. From a distance the landscape felt gentle, almost idyllic. Up close, it told another story. Beneath the surface lay the explosive remnants of recent fighting — scattered […]

As the world changes, APOPO continues to evolve. From humanitarian demining and disease detection to new frontiers of scent detection, our work is rooted in innovation — and that spirit continues to guide us as we explore expanded applications for our HeroRATs. At the heart of this effort is our Innovation Department, based at the

At the APOPO HeroTREEs program in Tanzania, we are inspired by young people who are helping to restore degraded land and create greener futures. This season, Ruben van Voorst, a Bachelor’s student from Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, joined the team to carry out his final-year research in International Forest

Saurimo, Lunda Sul Province, Angola — October 25, 2025 – From October 20–25th, APOPO joined fellow demining operators and national authorities in Saurimo, Lunda Sul Province, Angola, for a week of collaborative training and knowledge exchange organized by the Angolan National Mine Action Agency (ANAM). The event brought together key actors in Angola’s humanitarian demining

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Oct. 22 (APOPO) — Twenty-four newly accredited mine detection rats have arrived safely in Cambodia after leaving APOPO’s training and breeding center in Morogoro, Tanzania, on Monday. The young recruits completed their journey today and will soon join APOPO’s operations in support of the country’s national demining program. All 24 HeroRATs arrived

At APOPO, we believe that heroes come in all sizes. Some of the most remarkable ones happen to be rats. Our HeroRATs are trained to use their exceptional sense of smell to detect landmines and tuberculosis (TB), contributing to public health and safety in places where these challenges persist. But how does a small animal

Understanding the Species Behind APOPO’s HeroRATs At APOPO, our scent detection rats are affectionately known as HeroRATs, a name that reflects both their intelligence and their lifesaving work. But beyond the nickname lies an interesting scientific story — these extraordinary animals belong to a specific species, Cricetomys ansorgei, commonly known as either the African giant

At APOPO, innovation has always been at the heart of our work. From the very beginning, training rats to safely detect landmines was itself an innovation, and more than 25 years later it remains a core focus of our mission. Today, APOPO continues to explore new ways our HeroRATs can save lives and protect the

On 8 September 2025, APOPO launched its first training sessions under the Syntropic Agroforestry Innovation Accelerator in Skun, Cambodia, a village near the Mekong River. The program welcomed 25 participants representing farmer organizations, cooperatives, and academic institutions. This marks the first time the Food Forest model is being introduced in Cambodia through APOPO’s HeroTREEs program.