Landmines kill or maim at least 96 people a day and those victims are often from the poorest countries on Earth. The expense of planting a single landmine can be as little as £2.50, yet clearing it can cost over £600 with traditional methods, so for those nations worst affected it is costly on a both a human and financial front.

But a novel and unique solution has been found to detect landmines: Rats.

Cheaper to breed and easier to maintain than dogs, the African Giant Pouched Rat has an acute sense of smell and, crucially, weighs less than a dog and is therefore less likely to detonate a...