APOPO

Did You Know?

• APOPO has a TB Scientific Advisory Committee set up in 2014.
• An APOPO foundation was established in Geneva in 2015.
• The U.S. office was registered as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit organisation in 2015.

History

APOPO began as an R&D organisation in Belgium in the 1990s, developing Detection Rats Technology with research and government grants. Co-founder Bart Weetjens, a pet owner, read about gerbils used as scent detectors and believed rats could be trained to detect landmines. His former university lecturer Prof. Mic Billet supported the idea and provided resources. After consulting rodent expert Prof. Ron Verhagen, the Gambian pouched rat was chosen for its longevity and African origin. The project launched on 1 November 1997 by Weetjens and former schoolmate Christophe Cox. They built a kennel facility and ordered Gambian pouched rats from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania. Initial financial support came in 1997 from Belgian government foreign development aid funds. In 2000 APOPO moved its training and headquarters to SUA, partnering with the Tanzanian People's Defence Force. A 2003 World Bank grant funded research into TB detection. Weetjens received a three-year personal grant from Ashoka in 2007. A TB detection program launched in Tanzania in mid-2007 with four government clinics. Proof of principle for using trained rats to detect pulmonary tuberculosis in human sputum samples was provided in 2008. In 2010 a research plan to evaluate the rats' effectiveness in diagnosing TB began, and APOPO developed an automated training cage to remove human bias.

HeroRATS species profile

APOPO uses the Gambian pouched rat as a biosensor. These rats have poor eyesight and rely on their sense of smell and hearing, which evolved to find items underground. They focus only on the scent they are trained to detect, avoiding distractions from scrap metal. All rats are bred and managed at the Morogoro breeding and training centre in Tanzania, allowing socialisation from five weeks old. They can clear land faster than other methods; despite being the world's largest rats, with bodies 20–35 inches in total length including a nearly hairless tail, they are slim and fast. They are capable of complex learning and can recognise many scents, from tuberculosis bacteria to illegal wildlife parts. Their ability to generalise learning from a lab to new environments contributes to field success. They are hardy and can work in difficult tropical climates for many years.

HeroDOGS species profile

APOPO uses Belgian Shepherds (Malinois) and Dutch Shepherds as HeroDOGS, or Technical Survey Dogs, in a complementary role to HeroRATs. The dogs are trained to find the specific scent of explosives like TNT, avoiding distractions from scrap metal. Their primary job is large-scale scanning; a single dog can clear thousands of square meters per day. They are trained using strict scientific methods, pass accreditation tests, and are tested with blind protocols to ensure independent detection. HeroDOGS are typically used first to identify hazardous zones, especially in thick vegetation, after which HeroRATs pinpoint exact mine locations because the rats are light enough not to detonate mines. The dogs are selected from reputable European breeders and join the program at about seven months old. They are motivated by play and toys, a trait of the Shepherd breeds that makes them successful. The rats are motivated by food rewards like bananas and peanuts.

Detecting landmines

Southern giant pouched rats flown in must be acclimatised to the specific country and accredited by the local national agency, taking several months. Rats are part of integrated demining operations that also use metal detectors and mechanical machines. Land is prepared with heavy machinery to cut brush, and paths are cleared with metal detectors at 2m intervals for handlers. Rats wear harnesses connected to a rope between two handlers and search a 10 x 20m zone, indicating explosives by scratching. Points are marked and later checked by technicians with metal detectors; mines are excavated by hand and destroyed. The main advantage claimed is speed: less than three percent of landmine-suspected land actually contains mines, and animals detect only explosives. One rat can check 200 m2 in about 20 minutes, though the practical rate is up to 400 m2 per day as part of a team. The rats are indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa, suited to tropical climates, and have a lifespan of six to eight years. They do not form bonds with specific trainers, are motivated by food, and are too light to detonate pressure-activated mines.