PORTLAND, Oregon — They may not be everyone’s favorite animal, but a pair of pouched rats at the Oregon Zoo are helping change perceptions about how rodents can save lives.

Capri and Sun, a pair of East African savanna pouched rats, arrived at the zoo in October 2024 and have spent the past year working with trainer Rachel Skrobot.

“They are intelligent. They have an excellent sense of smell; they pretty much navigate with their nose,” Skrobot said.

Pouched rats are part of a global effort by APOPO , a nonprofit that has trained rodents since the late 1990s to detect landmines in countries still recovering from war, including Cambodia and Zimbabwe. Known as “HeroRATs,” the animals are small enough that they don’t trigger explosives and can cover large areas efficiently.

“Apopo rats a

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