WEBVTT

00:00:10.04 --> 00:00:17.21
[ VO ] This is the story one of Africa’s
giants. No, his teeth aren't that sharp

00:00:17.21 --> 00:00:20.24
And his neck isn't that long.

00:00:24.16 --> 00:00:29.05
[ VO ] This giant is rather modest
and keeps a low profile. That’s

00:00:29.06 --> 00:00:33.21
not him either. People are often
scared of this particular giant.

00:00:33.21 --> 00:00:39.05
[ VO ] But he’s nowhere near as dangerous
as this one. Ours is a friendly giant.

00:00:39.06 --> 00:00:44.15
[ VO ] Every day, with the possible exception
of weekends – he saves human lives.

00:00:44.15 --> 00:00:49.20
[ VO ] Here he is, his name is Isaac, a
giant pouched rat. It's easy to tell him

00:00:49.20 --> 00:00:55.09
from his brother and sisters. Even
at birth, Isaac had a passion for travel!

00:01:00.01 --> 00:01:02.18
ISAAC. THE STORY OF A LITTLE GIANT.

00:01:23.02 --> 00:01:27.11
[ VO ] Isaac was born at a
special training centre in Tanzania

00:01:32.19 --> 00:01:37.17
[ VO ] It’s called APOPO, which
stands for "Development of land mine

00:01:37.17 --> 00:01:43.04
detection equipment". That’s what
Isaac is - he's a mine-sniffing rat.

00:01:43.20 --> 00:01:47.18
[ Bart Weetjens, founder ] Rats are
everywhere. They are sociable. They adapt

00:01:47.19 --> 00:01:51.17
to all circumstances and
they've lived in symbiosis with

00:01:51.18 --> 00:01:55.22
humanity since ever. They
actually traditionally get rid

00:01:55.23 --> 00:02:00.02
of all our garbage and they've
been doing that for always.

00:02:01.19 --> 00:02:04.20
[ VO ] Mine-sniffing
rats are put to work in former

00:02:04.20 --> 00:02:07.22
hotpots where
landmines are among the most deadly

00:02:07.22 --> 00:02:11.07
remnants of armed conflict. They’re
often found years

00:02:11.08 --> 00:02:14.18
after war has
ended. And serious injury isn't the only

00:02:14.18 --> 00:02:17.22
problem.
Imagine how it must feel to live with the

00:02:17.22 --> 00:02:21.00
knowledge that
there's a landmine lurking somewhere

00:02:21.01 --> 00:02:24.03
near your home. When Isaac grows
up, will learn to

00:02:24.04 --> 00:02:27.18
help make the problem of landmines
a thing of the past.

00:02:33.08 --> 00:02:36.18
[ VO ] But it will be a
full nine months before he becomes

00:02:36.19 --> 00:02:40.05
a real pro. For
now, he spends his time with his family.

00:02:45.14 --> 00:02:48.17
[ VO ] It's no coincidence that giant rats
are used as mine

00:02:48.18 --> 00:02:52.09
sniffers. In the wild,
their extraordinary sense of smell allows

00:02:52.10 --> 00:02:55.22
them to search for food buried
deep underground, it also works

00:02:55.23 --> 00:02:59.05
with landmines.
The key is to train the rats to associate

00:02:59.06 --> 00:03:02.19
the discovery of TNT with food. And that’s
not very difficult

00:03:02.20 --> 00:03:06.08
to achieve, everyone knows
how intelligent rats are. The really

00:03:06.09 --> 00:03:10.00
hard part is making sure
that the rat doesn’t make any mistakes,

00:03:10.01 --> 00:03:13.07
because that
could be fatal – and not just for the rat.

00:03:16.14 --> 00:03:20.24
[ VO ] These aren’t regular rats;
that’s clear from the way they eat. These

00:03:21.00 --> 00:03:25.06
giant rats have special pouches in their
cheeks, to store food, just

00:03:25.06 --> 00:03:29.15
like hamsters. So, this particular
animal is on the cusp between being

00:03:29.15 --> 00:03:33.24
a rat and a hamster. Perhaps that's
why they’re just a little bit cuter.

00:03:45.16 --> 00:03:47.24
[ Dr Cynthia
Fast Head of Training and Behavioral

00:03:47.24 --> 00:03:50.16
Reseach ] I
guess I should add to another really great

00:03:50.17 --> 00:03:53.10
benefit of
our species of rats is that they’re really

00:03:53.10 --> 00:03:56.03
curious, which
lab rats are curious as well, but they..

00:03:56.04 --> 00:03:58.21
they’re very
social in terms of they’re really willing

00:03:58.22 --> 00:04:01.14
to work with
people, and lab rats, sometimes they will

00:04:01.15 --> 00:04:04.07
do the whole..
the relationship with you, but I don’t

00:04:04.08 --> 00:04:07.01
think they
develop it quite as easily as our rats do.

00:04:11.23 --> 00:04:15.21
[ VO ] Meanwhile, Isaac has grown,
he's now 6 weeks old and training can

00:04:15.22 --> 00:04:19.21
begin. Like all children, Isaac’s
schooling starts with a kindergarten.

00:04:22.10 --> 00:04:27.04
[ VO ] Albert is a carer; he helps little
rats to feel comfortable around people.

00:04:39.01 --> 00:04:42.18
[ Albert ] There
are different car engines passing by.

00:04:44.00 --> 00:04:46.03
[ Albert ] For the rat it is...

00:04:46.04 --> 00:04:48.09
...that is normal.

00:04:48.17 --> 00:04:51.18
[ Albert ] He has adapted
to the engine sound.

00:04:51.23 --> 00:04:55.02
[ Albert ] It's concentration
(from) his training.

00:04:55.06 --> 00:04:58.05
[ Albert ] So he's not
afraid of the engine sound.

00:05:00.05 --> 00:05:04.17
[ VO ] Interacting with the carer is a vital
part of the learning process, it’s important

00:05:04.18 --> 00:05:09.05
for Isaac’s socialization. Mine-sniffing
rats mustn’t run away from or bite people.

00:05:14.23 --> 00:05:18.19
[ VO ] When he grows up,
Isaac will weigh around a kilo and his body

00:05:18.20 --> 00:05:22.15
will reach 30-40 cm in length,
just about as long as his tail.

00:05:25.08 --> 00:05:31.17
[ VO ] Because they’re so big, grilled
giant rat is a favourite local street food.

00:05:43.16 --> 00:05:47.22
[ VO ] Isaac has
started at school. He spends his early

00:05:47.22 --> 00:05:52.04
weeks learning
the basic rule: that TNT means food.

00:05:52.04 --> 00:05:56.17
Sound is used
to reinforce the learned response. When

00:05:56.17 --> 00:06:01.05
Isaac encounters
an empty container, there’s no sound.

00:06:03.20 --> 00:06:07.21
[ VO ] This one does contain TNT and the click
tells him that he can now claim a treat.

00:06:11.10 --> 00:06:13.24
[ Lily Shallom
Public Relations Specialist ] In general,

00:06:14.00 --> 00:06:16.15
the handlers,
they really let her do her thing. They

00:06:16.16 --> 00:06:21.21
don't get involved or try influence
her in any way. But each of the rats

00:06:21.22 --> 00:06:27.03
has a different behavior, just before
they find the explosives. They have

00:06:27.03 --> 00:06:32.09
certain pre-indicative behaviors.
Some of them like to clean themselves,

00:06:32.09 --> 00:06:37.09
they like to groom themselves.
They're very clean. They don't like to

00:06:37.10 --> 00:06:42.21
get wet or mud either. But some
of them will walk around in circles. Some

00:06:42.22 --> 00:06:48.04
even stand up and sniff the air. And
so the handler knows that she's found

00:06:48.05 --> 00:06:53.09
something, she just hasn't
gotten to it yet and indicated where it is.

00:06:58.04 --> 00:07:02.10
[ VO ] A rat’s remarkable sense of smell
can detect the

00:07:02.10 --> 00:07:07.12
tiniest traces of TNT,
they can sense the explosive even when

00:07:07.13 --> 00:07:12.16
it's 15-20 cm underground.
Their noses are their not-so-secret

00:07:12.17 --> 00:07:16.22
weapon. Imagine,
if humans had similar abilities?

00:07:17.07 --> 00:07:20.08
[ Dr Cynthia ] Ok if you’re
in a pitch-black room

00:07:20.09 --> 00:07:23.11
and somebody entered
the house from.. I would

00:07:23.11 --> 00:07:26.23
say.. one kilometre
away, and it’s pitch-black

00:07:26.23 --> 00:07:30.04
and you can’t hear
anything, you might be

00:07:30.04 --> 00:07:36.15
able to detect that something changed, but
that’s also very hard for me to say because

00:07:36.16 --> 00:07:43.02
I really.. as a scientist I need evidence
to support such a claim and I don’t have it.

00:07:47.10 --> 00:07:51.04
[ VO ] Isaac and his sister are at
the gym. They can give their paws

00:07:51.05 --> 00:07:55.00
a good work out, sharpen
their teeth and enjoy a sense of freedom.

00:07:55.00 --> 00:07:57.14
Oops!

00:08:05.21 --> 00:08:09.04
[ VO ] It seems that Isaac is trying to set
out on his first trip.

00:08:12.24 --> 00:08:20.24
[ VO ] Nice try. A brief chase, a few breaths
of fresh air,

00:08:26.06 --> 00:08:29.08
and he's back in the fold.

00:08:43.08 --> 00:08:47.11
[ Professor Mic
Billet Pro-Chairman ] They know what

00:08:47.12 --> 00:08:51.15
they are doing. They know what we
expect from them.

00:08:51.16 --> 00:08:55.12
They know
that if they are working in the way we

00:08:55.13 --> 00:08:59.23
want, that they will have this reward.
Pavlov in this

00:08:59.24 --> 00:09:03.20
context is
very, very important. He learned us:

00:09:03.21 --> 00:09:08.06
'You have to
reward animals. Don't punish them, they

00:09:08.07 --> 00:09:12.10
don't understand this.' So I remember
very well the

00:09:12.11 --> 00:09:16.15
words of Pavlov and
that's what we are doing here.

00:09:22.13 --> 00:09:27.03
[ VO ] For about a week, these students
are only fed the same foods that they

00:09:27.04 --> 00:09:32.04
are given as treats during training.
Mostly a staple diet of bananas and nuts.

00:09:32.07 --> 00:09:35.06
[ Life ] This is a special food for...

00:09:36.08 --> 00:09:37.13
...rats.

00:09:39.08 --> 00:09:44.19
[ VO ] For weekends, our little giants are
given a veritable feast. Albert prepares a

00:09:44.20 --> 00:09:50.07
mixture of peanuts and dried fish. This
culinary cocktail is great for their bones.

00:09:50.21 --> 00:09:52.23
[ Life ] They eat one nut.

00:10:04.09 --> 00:10:06.13
[ VO ] And it’s no feast without desert.

00:10:09.14 --> 00:10:13.12
[ Life ] This
is watermelon. They like their watermelon.

00:10:15.15 --> 00:10:20.05
[ Life ] I give them their watermelon,
there’s a lot of vitamin C in it.

00:10:30.22 --> 00:10:33.20
[ VO ] In the wild,
giant rats live in small

00:10:33.21 --> 00:10:37.09
underground
colonies. They are quite independent

00:10:37.10 --> 00:10:43.15
within a colony; they live in their own
burrows and don't share food with neighbours.

00:10:43.15 --> 00:10:46.17
Females choose their
mating partners but, the

00:10:46.18 --> 00:10:49.20
colonies
aren't matriarchal. They are ruled by

00:10:49.20 --> 00:10:55.24
a group that’s a little like a parliament
with both male and female members.

00:11:04.16 --> 00:11:09.13
[ VO ] It’s a big
day for Isaac, he’s about to graduate.

00:11:10.13 --> 00:11:14.24
[ VO ] Just like every graduate-to-be,
he gets his own personal transport.

00:11:18.23 --> 00:11:23.15
[ VO ] Now Isaac starts his field training.

00:11:36.00 --> 00:11:41.24
[ VO ] Giant pouched rats are nocturnal, they
sleep by day but have active night lives.

00:11:51.17 --> 00:11:56.24
[ VO ] Carers try to adjust to the
rats' biorhythms. They set out at

00:11:57.00 --> 00:12:02.06
5-30 in the morning so a field
training session can start at 6 am.

00:12:21.16 --> 00:12:23.19
[ VO ] It’s for
moments like this that Isaac has been

00:12:23.19 --> 00:12:25.23
trained; he’s not
alarmed by the sound of the engine.

00:12:47.02 --> 00:12:53.00
[ Mic ] And my conclusion is that we need to
train the trainers.

00:12:53.01 --> 00:12:59.15
Again. And I like that
the older one will train the younger one.

00:13:01.23 --> 00:13:06.09
[ Mic ] So it's
not the white man who is telling them

00:13:07.07 --> 00:13:13.07
'the Black, you have to do this and this
and this.' No, no, no. We have the older

00:13:13.08 --> 00:13:19.09
trainers so there's material enough for
the old trainers to train the younger one.

00:13:36.09 --> 00:13:43.21
[ VO ] Isaac remains calm, waiting for
his class to start.

00:13:43.21 --> 00:13:50.07
The trust between
trainer and rat runs deep.

00:13:53.04 --> 00:13:56.01
[ VO ] He lets Isaac out of the cage
without even bothering to follow.

00:14:05.02 --> 00:14:09.02
[ Mic ] They have
to concentrate them on the behaviour

00:14:09.02 --> 00:14:13.02
of the rat.
They have to make an interpretation of

00:14:13.03 --> 00:14:17.00
what the rat
is doing. But you can't do this when

00:14:17.00 --> 00:14:21.16
you're telling
about your adventures during the weekend.

00:14:25.22 --> 00:14:29.24
[ VO ] Isaac is
now demonstrating model behaviour for

00:14:30.00 --> 00:14:34.03
a mine-hunting rat.
He sniffs diligently at the air,

00:14:35.13 --> 00:14:37.02
he's in no hurry.

00:14:42.23 --> 00:14:46.17
[ VO ] This is
the result of several months of training.

00:14:53.11 --> 00:14:56.12
[ VO ] It looks as
though Isaac might have found some TNT.

00:14:58.05 --> 00:15:01.09
[ VO ] He tries
to rid his nose of all extraneous scent.

00:15:07.24 --> 00:15:10.19
[ VO ] He thinks he
senses something but needs

00:15:10.19 --> 00:15:13.14
to reset his smelling
apparatus to be sure.

00:15:16.12 --> 00:15:18.01
[ VO ] This is the spot.

00:15:23.10 --> 00:15:26.01
[ VO ] Now the trainer sends his signal.

00:15:43.12 --> 00:15:47.12
[ VO ] This
looks a lot like two old friend talking.

00:15:51.09 --> 00:15:57.14
[ Mic ] Rat was
performing perfect. I mean, she was not

00:15:57.15 --> 00:16:05.01
running, she was walking.
She sniffed everywhere. She like(?)

00:16:05.01 --> 00:16:11.14
of course to sniff
the TNT because of the reward. At a

00:16:11.15 --> 00:16:18.19
certain moment
she wasn't sure about the presence of TNT.

00:16:26.18 --> 00:16:30.03
[ VO ] Isaac seems to have passed with
flying colours.

00:16:33.19 --> 00:16:36.24
[ VO ] Now it's time to evaluate his loyalty.

00:16:39.10 --> 00:16:44.05
[ VO ] No one wants to chase a runaway rat
across a live minefield; that would be deadly.

00:16:44.06 --> 00:16:46.20
That's why it's important
that the rats follow

00:16:46.21 --> 00:16:49.10
their
handlers voluntarily without a leash.

00:16:54.20 --> 00:16:59.19
[ VO ] Isaac is displaying
textbook behaviour - his training

00:16:59.19 --> 00:17:04.08
is over. Now it's time
for the real work to begin.

00:17:11.16 --> 00:17:15.04
[ VO ] Isaac’s on his way to Siam Rip,
in Cambodia.

00:17:43.10 --> 00:17:49.23
[ VO ] It’s home to one of the ancient
architectural wonders of the world - Ankor Vat.

00:17:52.09 --> 00:17:56.07
[ VO ] Millions of tourists
travel here to take their best selfies.

00:17:56.08 --> 00:18:00.21
Tourism is one of Cambodia's main
sources of revenue but there are still

00:18:00.21 --> 00:18:05.03
landmines left over from the
civil war and they are seriously hampering

00:18:05.03 --> 00:18:09.08
any further growth in tourism, to say
nothing of the danger to life.

00:18:25.05 --> 00:18:30.06
[ VO ] When it comes to square mileage
of mine fields, Cambodia is second only to

00:18:30.06 --> 00:18:32.24
Afghanistan. The number
of injuries caused

00:18:32.24 --> 00:18:36.00
by landmines is the
highest in the world. Now

00:18:36.01 --> 00:18:41.18
though, the situation is changing for the
better. In the popular tourist resorts, mines

00:18:41.18 --> 00:18:47.07
can only be found in museums, but there
are still many danger areas in the country.

00:18:51.22 --> 00:18:57.02
[ VO ] Isaac
is here to help with mine clearance.

00:18:57.03 --> 00:19:01.00
His new instructor applies sunscreen to his
skin. Because

00:19:01.00 --> 00:19:04.17
giant rats
are nocturnal creatures, their skin isn't

00:19:04.17 --> 00:19:08.15
accustomed to
high levels of UV-light. If they were left

00:19:08.15 --> 00:19:12.22
unprotected, they’d run
the risk of developing skin cancer.

00:19:15.19 --> 00:19:19.03
[ VO ] Their Ears
and tails are the most delicate spots.

00:19:22.02 --> 00:19:25.03
[ VO ] We didn't see them doing
this in Africa because the training

00:19:25.03 --> 00:19:27.24
centre is high
in the mountains, in the town of Morogoro.

00:19:29.06 --> 00:19:31.19
[ VO ] At this time of year it's
much cooler there than here in Cambodia.

00:19:36.08 --> 00:19:41.18
[ VO ] Take a closer look at the
puddle, it's raining but Isaac still

00:19:41.19 --> 00:19:47.19
has sun-cream applied, the sun
might come out once the team is at work.

00:20:01.24 --> 00:20:08.11
[ VO ] This is no drill. The team
dons protective vests and helmets.

00:20:10.10 --> 00:20:13.08
[ VO ] No one really
knows exactly how much protection

00:20:13.09 --> 00:20:16.08
the gear would offer
but now they're off to work.

00:20:19.07 --> 00:20:23.15
[ Mark Shukuru Field coordinator ] It is
not like 100% if an explosion happened…

00:20:23.16 --> 00:20:28.13
[ Mark ] But there are international rules
and you have to use them.

00:20:30.09 --> 00:20:33.02
[ Mark ] If something explodes, with a visor

00:20:33.03 --> 00:20:36.00
and you’re doing excavation work...

00:20:36.04 --> 00:20:41.01
[ Mark ] Then at least our faces
are protected, rather than having nothing.

00:20:46.19 --> 00:20:49.19
[ VO ] Just as we make
our way to the mine field, it rains again.

00:20:53.24 --> 00:20:57.23
[ Mark ] If it rains and the soil is wet...

00:20:57.24 --> 00:21:01.03
there's too much water or too much mud,

00:21:01.17 --> 00:21:04.20
then there is no evaporation so,

00:21:04.21 --> 00:21:08.14
it's not easy for the
TNT smell to come out,

00:21:08.20 --> 00:21:11.16
and for the rats to sniff it out.

00:21:11.21 --> 00:21:15.01
[ Mark ] That's
why when it rains a lot, we don't work.

00:21:19.11 --> 00:21:21.22
[ VO ] It doesn’t look
as though we’ll get to see

00:21:21.22 --> 00:21:24.09
Isaac in action. The
rain is getting heavier.

00:21:30.02 --> 00:21:38.21
[ Mic ] APOPO is saying we're saving
lives. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Very good said.

00:21:38.22 --> 00:21:47.17
A very good one-liner. But is
this true? Are the animals prepared and so?

00:22:02.24 --> 00:22:08.10
[ VO ] One more try. It’s not quite clear if
the rain will get in the way again or not.

00:22:19.24 --> 00:22:22.21
[ VO ] The mine detection team is out in
the field after all.

00:22:25.14 --> 00:22:28.01
[ VO ] Isaac is investigating the ground.

00:22:30.07 --> 00:22:31.13
[ VO ] Nothing so far.

00:22:33.20 --> 00:22:36.09
[ VO ] Suddenly he starts to wash his face.

00:22:38.17 --> 00:22:41.21
[ VO ] This
means he's identified a suspicious smell.

00:22:45.15 --> 00:22:48.05
[ VO ] The disposal expert approaches.

00:22:55.00 --> 00:22:56.15
[ VO ] He has found something.

00:23:21.14 --> 00:23:26.02
[ VO ] But his behaviour seems too
ordinary, maybe it's not a mine after all.

00:23:33.01 --> 00:23:36.07
[ Life ] This is a mine,
an anti-personnel mine...

00:23:36.10 --> 00:23:39.16
[ Life ] It's a type 69, made in China.

00:23:42.09 --> 00:23:46.07
[ Life ] Isaac is a very
quick and clever rat.

00:23:46.10 --> 00:23:48.23
[ Life ] He is great at finding TNT

00:23:48.24 --> 00:23:51.06
and he is very precise.

00:23:52.09 --> 00:23:56.09
[ Life ] He can trace the scent
and decide if it's a mine or not.

00:24:00.12 --> 00:24:02.20
[ VO ] All finds are carefully
marked on the map.

00:24:07.01 --> 00:24:10.07
[ VO ] Cleared areas
are highlighted in yellow.

00:24:18.19 --> 00:24:23.07
[ VO ] The disposal
team has a light breakfast after work.

00:24:26.15 --> 00:24:28.24
[ VO ] Everyone gets
a banana, and they all seem to enjoy it.

00:24:31.01 --> 00:24:37.18
[ VO ] Isaac has come a long way for this
moment of triumph. Now it's time for a rest.

00:24:42.06 --> 00:24:46.17
[ VO ] Real heroes don’t seek glory. True
heroes need

00:24:46.17 --> 00:24:51.17
rest to build up
their strength for future endeavours.

00:24:56.04 --> 00:24:59.08
[ VO ] Another
round of Cambodia’s mine-clearance campaign

00:24:59.09 --> 00:25:02.13
has come to an
end. The field engineers have a chance to

00:25:02.14 --> 00:25:05.23
relax and the young
men take a leaf out of their charges’

00:25:05.24 --> 00:25:09.09
book – their nightlife
seems just as exciting as the rats.!

00:25:40.21 --> 00:25:43.18
[ VO ] This is how the story of a mine ends.

00:25:49.01 --> 00:25:50.23
[ VO ] That’s all there’s to it.