[ VO ] This is the story one of Africa’s giants. No, his teeth aren't that sharp
And his neck isn't that long.
[ VO ] This giant is rather modest and keeps a low profile. That’s
not him either. People are often scared of this particular giant.
[ VO ] But he’s nowhere near as dangerous as this one. Ours is a friendly giant.
[ VO ] Every day, with the possible exception of weekends – he saves human lives.
[ VO ] Here he is, his name is Isaac, a giant pouched rat. It's easy to tell him
from his brother and sisters. Even at birth, Isaac had a passion for travel!
ISAAC. THE STORY OF A LITTLE GIANT.
[ VO ] Isaac was born at a special training centre in Tanzania
[ VO ] It’s called APOPO, which stands for "Development of land mine
detection equipment". That’s what Isaac is - he's a mine-sniffing rat.
[ Bart Weetjens, founder ] Rats are everywhere. They are sociable. They adapt
to all circumstances and they've lived in symbiosis with
humanity since ever. They actually traditionally get rid
of all our garbage and they've been doing that for always.
[ VO ] Mine-sniffing rats are put to work in former
hotpots where landmines are among the most deadly
remnants of armed conflict. They’re often found years
after war has ended. And serious injury isn't the only
problem. Imagine how it must feel to live with the
knowledge that there's a landmine lurking somewhere
near your home. When Isaac grows up, will learn to
help make the problem of landmines a thing of the past.
[ VO ] But it will be a full nine months before he becomes
a real pro. For now, he spends his time with his family.
[ VO ] It's no coincidence that giant rats are used as mine
sniffers. In the wild, their extraordinary sense of smell allows
them to search for food buried deep underground, it also works
with landmines. The key is to train the rats to associate
the discovery of TNT with food. And that’s not very difficult
to achieve, everyone knows how intelligent rats are. The really
hard part is making sure that the rat doesn’t make any mistakes,
because that could be fatal – and not just for the rat.
[ VO ] These aren’t regular rats; that’s clear from the way they eat. These
giant rats have special pouches in their cheeks, to store food, just
like hamsters. So, this particular animal is on the cusp between being
a rat and a hamster. Perhaps that's why they’re just a little bit cuter.
[ Dr Cynthia Fast Head of Training and Behavioral
Reseach ] I guess I should add to another really great
benefit of our species of rats is that they’re really
curious, which lab rats are curious as well, but they..
they’re very social in terms of they’re really willing
to work with people, and lab rats, sometimes they will
do the whole.. the relationship with you, but I don’t
think they develop it quite as easily as our rats do.
[ VO ] Meanwhile, Isaac has grown, he's now 6 weeks old and training can
begin. Like all children, Isaac’s schooling starts with a kindergarten.
[ VO ] Albert is a carer; he helps little rats to feel comfortable around people.
[ Albert ] There are different car engines passing by.
[ Albert ] For the rat it is...
...that is normal.
[ Albert ] He has adapted to the engine sound.
[ Albert ] It's concentration (from) his training.
[ Albert ] So he's not afraid of the engine sound.
[ VO ] Interacting with the carer is a vital part of the learning process, it’s important
for Isaac’s socialization. Mine-sniffing rats mustn’t run away from or bite people.
[ VO ] When he grows up, Isaac will weigh around a kilo and his body
will reach 30-40 cm in length, just about as long as his tail.
[ VO ] Because they’re so big, grilled giant rat is a favourite local street food.
[ VO ] Isaac has started at school. He spends his early
weeks learning the basic rule: that TNT means food.
Sound is used to reinforce the learned response. When
Isaac encounters an empty container, there’s no sound.
[ VO ] This one does contain TNT and the click tells him that he can now claim a treat.
[ Lily Shallom Public Relations Specialist ] In general,
the handlers, they really let her do her thing. They
don't get involved or try influence her in any way. But each of the rats
has a different behavior, just before they find the explosives. They have
certain pre-indicative behaviors. Some of them like to clean themselves,
they like to groom themselves. They're very clean. They don't like to
get wet or mud either. But some of them will walk around in circles. Some
even stand up and sniff the air. And so the handler knows that she's found
something, she just hasn't gotten to it yet and indicated where it is.
[ VO ] A rat’s remarkable sense of smell can detect the
tiniest traces of TNT, they can sense the explosive even when
it's 15-20 cm underground. Their noses are their not-so-secret
weapon. Imagine, if humans had similar abilities?
[ Dr Cynthia ] Ok if you’re in a pitch-black room
and somebody entered the house from.. I would
say.. one kilometre away, and it’s pitch-black
and you can’t hear anything, you might be
able to detect that something changed, but that’s also very hard for me to say because
I really.. as a scientist I need evidence to support such a claim and I don’t have it.
[ VO ] Isaac and his sister are at the gym. They can give their paws
a good work out, sharpen their teeth and enjoy a sense of freedom.
Oops!
[ VO ] It seems that Isaac is trying to set out on his first trip.
[ VO ] Nice try. A brief chase, a few breaths of fresh air,
and he's back in the fold.
[ Professor Mic Billet Pro-Chairman ] They know what
they are doing. They know what we expect from them.
They know that if they are working in the way we
want, that they will have this reward. Pavlov in this
context is very, very important. He learned us:
'You have to reward animals. Don't punish them, they
don't understand this.' So I remember very well the
words of Pavlov and that's what we are doing here.
[ VO ] For about a week, these students are only fed the same foods that they
are given as treats during training. Mostly a staple diet of bananas and nuts.
[ Life ] This is a special food for...
...rats.
[ VO ] For weekends, our little giants are given a veritable feast. Albert prepares a
mixture of peanuts and dried fish. This culinary cocktail is great for their bones.
[ Life ] They eat one nut.
[ VO ] And it’s no feast without desert.
[ Life ] This is watermelon. They like their watermelon.
[ Life ] I give them their watermelon, there’s a lot of vitamin C in it.
[ VO ] In the wild, giant rats live in small
underground colonies. They are quite independent
within a colony; they live in their own burrows and don't share food with neighbours.
Females choose their mating partners but, the
colonies aren't matriarchal. They are ruled by
a group that’s a little like a parliament with both male and female members.
[ VO ] It’s a big day for Isaac, he’s about to graduate.
[ VO ] Just like every graduate-to-be, he gets his own personal transport.
[ VO ] Now Isaac starts his field training.
[ VO ] Giant pouched rats are nocturnal, they sleep by day but have active night lives.
[ VO ] Carers try to adjust to the rats' biorhythms. They set out at
5-30 in the morning so a field training session can start at 6 am.
[ VO ] It’s for moments like this that Isaac has been
trained; he’s not alarmed by the sound of the engine.
[ Mic ] And my conclusion is that we need to train the trainers.
Again. And I like that the older one will train the younger one.
[ Mic ] So it's not the white man who is telling them
'the Black, you have to do this and this and this.' No, no, no. We have the older
trainers so there's material enough for the old trainers to train the younger one.
[ VO ] Isaac remains calm, waiting for his class to start.
The trust between trainer and rat runs deep.
[ VO ] He lets Isaac out of the cage without even bothering to follow.
[ Mic ] They have to concentrate them on the behaviour
of the rat. They have to make an interpretation of
what the rat is doing. But you can't do this when
you're telling about your adventures during the weekend.
[ VO ] Isaac is now demonstrating model behaviour for
a mine-hunting rat. He sniffs diligently at the air,
he's in no hurry.
[ VO ] This is the result of several months of training.
[ VO ] It looks as though Isaac might have found some TNT.
[ VO ] He tries to rid his nose of all extraneous scent.
[ VO ] He thinks he senses something but needs
to reset his smelling apparatus to be sure.
[ VO ] This is the spot.
[ VO ] Now the trainer sends his signal.
[ VO ] This looks a lot like two old friend talking.
[ Mic ] Rat was performing perfect. I mean, she was not
running, she was walking. She sniffed everywhere. She like(?)
of course to sniff the TNT because of the reward. At a
certain moment she wasn't sure about the presence of TNT.
[ VO ] Isaac seems to have passed with flying colours.
[ VO ] Now it's time to evaluate his loyalty.
[ VO ] No one wants to chase a runaway rat across a live minefield; that would be deadly.
That's why it's important that the rats follow
their handlers voluntarily without a leash.
[ VO ] Isaac is displaying textbook behaviour - his training
is over. Now it's time for the real work to begin.
[ VO ] Isaac’s on his way to Siam Rip, in Cambodia.
[ VO ] It’s home to one of the ancient architectural wonders of the world - Ankor Vat.
[ VO ] Millions of tourists travel here to take their best selfies.
Tourism is one of Cambodia's main sources of revenue but there are still
landmines left over from the civil war and they are seriously hampering
any further growth in tourism, to say nothing of the danger to life.
[ VO ] When it comes to square mileage of mine fields, Cambodia is second only to
Afghanistan. The number of injuries caused
by landmines is the highest in the world. Now
though, the situation is changing for the better. In the popular tourist resorts, mines
can only be found in museums, but there are still many danger areas in the country.
[ VO ] Isaac is here to help with mine clearance.
His new instructor applies sunscreen to his skin. Because
giant rats are nocturnal creatures, their skin isn't
accustomed to high levels of UV-light. If they were left
unprotected, they’d run the risk of developing skin cancer.
[ VO ] Their Ears and tails are the most delicate spots.
[ VO ] We didn't see them doing this in Africa because the training
centre is high in the mountains, in the town of Morogoro.
[ VO ] At this time of year it's much cooler there than here in Cambodia.
[ VO ] Take a closer look at the puddle, it's raining but Isaac still
has sun-cream applied, the sun might come out once the team is at work.
[ VO ] This is no drill. The team dons protective vests and helmets.
[ VO ] No one really knows exactly how much protection
the gear would offer but now they're off to work.
[ Mark Shukuru Field coordinator ] It is not like 100% if an explosion happened…
[ Mark ] But there are international rules and you have to use them.
[ Mark ] If something explodes, with a visor
and you’re doing excavation work...
[ Mark ] Then at least our faces are protected, rather than having nothing.
[ VO ] Just as we make our way to the mine field, it rains again.
[ Mark ] If it rains and the soil is wet...
there's too much water or too much mud,
then there is no evaporation so,
it's not easy for the TNT smell to come out,
and for the rats to sniff it out.
[ Mark ] That's why when it rains a lot, we don't work.
[ VO ] It doesn’t look as though we’ll get to see
Isaac in action. The rain is getting heavier.
[ Mic ] APOPO is saying we're saving lives. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Very good said.
A very good one-liner. But is this true? Are the animals prepared and so?
[ VO ] One more try. It’s not quite clear if the rain will get in the way again or not.
[ VO ] The mine detection team is out in the field after all.
[ VO ] Isaac is investigating the ground.
[ VO ] Nothing so far.
[ VO ] Suddenly he starts to wash his face.
[ VO ] This means he's identified a suspicious smell.
[ VO ] The disposal expert approaches.
[ VO ] He has found something.
[ VO ] But his behaviour seems too ordinary, maybe it's not a mine after all.
[ Life ] This is a mine, an anti-personnel mine...
[ Life ] It's a type 69, made in China.
[ Life ] Isaac is a very quick and clever rat.
[ Life ] He is great at finding TNT
and he is very precise.
[ Life ] He can trace the scent and decide if it's a mine or not.
[ VO ] All finds are carefully marked on the map.
[ VO ] Cleared areas are highlighted in yellow.
[ VO ] The disposal team has a light breakfast after work.
[ VO ] Everyone gets a banana, and they all seem to enjoy it.
[ VO ] Isaac has come a long way for this moment of triumph. Now it's time for a rest.
[ VO ] Real heroes don’t seek glory. True heroes need
rest to build up their strength for future endeavours.
[ VO ] Another round of Cambodia’s mine-clearance campaign
has come to an end. The field engineers have a chance to
relax and the young men take a leaf out of their charges’
book – their nightlife seems just as exciting as the rats.!
[ VO ] This is how the story of a mine ends.
[ VO ] That’s all there’s to it.