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# Tanzania: Hero Rats
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/frontline/extras/tanzania-hero-rats-xhcr1b/
- Published: 2026-07-30T15:31:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-30T16:00:34.000Z
- Description: Go inside an effort to train giant rats to sniff out deadly unexploded land mines — and save lives.
- Author: Cascade PBS Staff
- Tags: FRONTLINE, #ZZZ_Show_8d45e56c-70b3-4c33-a2eb-1c2ac36ca879, #v1.7, #ZZZ_Extra_25d3464f-9475-440e-a2a9-b6900f538f0a, #extra

Bart Weetjens founded a unique lab in Tanzania dedicated to training rats to sniff out deadly unexploded land mines — the legacy of countless bloody conflicts. Although dogs had traditionally been used to help humans detect mines, Weetjens, who had long felt a special bond with rodents, realized that African giant pouched rats were lighter, cheaper to care for, and less susceptible to disease.