Princess Diana Helped Bring Global Attention to Landmines—Now Rats, Bees, Dogs, and Even Elephants are Helping to Remove Them Safely
Landmines are one of the deadliest leftovers of war, hidden just beneath the surface in over 60 countries. But a surprising group of heroes is helping to sniff, swim, and crawl their way through danger zones. From rats that scratch at buried TNT to dolphins that use sonar to mark underwater mines, these animals are doing what even the best machines can’t. And it all started with a single, unforgettable moment, when Princess Diana walked into a minefield and showed the world what was really at stake.
It Started with a Princess and a Walk Through a Minefield
In January 1997, Princess Diana walked through an active minefield in Angola wearing protective gear and flanked by demining experts. Her bold visit, captured in widely circulated photos, shocked the world into paying attention. Landmines had long been dismissed as a leftover issue from war zones, but Diana’s visit reframed them as an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Her support of the HALO Trust brought both funding and global awareness to the cause.
That same year, just months after her death, the international community signed the Ottawa Treaty to ban anti-personnel mines. Yet the damage was far from done. Today, over 60 countries remain contaminated with unexploded landmines. From Cambodia and Colombia to Ukraine and Sudan, civilians continue to be injured or killed. But Diana’s legacy lives on in an unexpected way: through animals now trained to do the dangerous work of detection—faster, safer, and in many cases, more accurately than humans ever could.
HeroRATs Sniff Out TNT Without Ever Triggering a Blast
In countries like Cambodia and Angola, African giant pouched rats are helping clear landmines faster than most machines. These large rodents, trained by the nonprofit APOPO, are light enough to walk across minefields without triggering explosions. Their training starts young, using clicker cues and food rewards to teach them how to detect TNT. When they smell it, they pause and scratch the ground, signaling their handler to mark the spot. A single rat can sweep an area the size of a tennis court in under 30 minutes. Compared to humans using metal detectors, which can take days to cover the same ground, these rats are faster and more accurate. Their ability to smell explosives rather than just metal means fewer false alarms.
Magawa, the most famous HeroRAT, cleared more than 141,000 square meters of land in Cambodia before retiring in 2021. He even earned a gold medal for his work. Each rat can work for five to seven years before retirement, making them a wise long-term investment. APOPO’s program is active across Southeast Asia and Africa, offering a low-cost, community-based way to tackle a deadly problem. These rats have helped reclaim farmland, reopen schools, and make daily life safer for thousands of people. Though they’re small and low to the ground, their impact is anything but. HeroRATs are living proof that even the unlikeliest animals can become lifesaving allies.
Mine Detection Dogs Are Brave, Fast, and Incredibly Precise
In war-torn regions from Bosnia to Afghanistan, specially trained dogs are helping locate landmines buried for decades. Breeds like Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds are chosen for their intelligence, stamina, and strong sense of smell. These dogs undergo months of training to recognize the scent of explosives, such as TNT and RDX. When they detect a mine, they sit or lie down to alert their handler without disturbing the ground. A skilled dog can search several thousand square meters in a single day, covering terrain that would take a human days to scan. Unlike machines, they can move easily through thick brush or rubble. Their speed and accuracy make them a vital part of humanitarian demining teams.
The connection between dog and handler is key to a safe and successful mission. Organizations like the HALO Trust and the Marshall Legacy Institute deploy these teams across dozens of countries. Many of the dogs are later adopted by their handlers once they retire from fieldwork. The cost of training is high, but the results are worth it; millions of square meters have been cleared thanks to these loyal companions. In many communities, the presence of a dog team means fields can be farmed again, and children can play without fear. These dogs are more than working animals; they’re protectors, partners, and everyday heroes.
Honeybees Are Being Trained to Map Minefields from the Air
In Croatia and Spain, researchers are training honeybees to detect explosives by using their powerful sense of smell. Bees can be conditioned to associate the scent of TNT with a sugar water reward, a process that takes just a few hours. Once released, they naturally seek out areas where explosive vapors are present and linger longer in those spots. Scientists use thermal imaging and laser-based tracking to monitor their flight paths. By analyzing where bees spend the most time, they can create a heat map of possible mine locations. This method is noninvasive, low-cost, and entirely safe for the bees. It also works well in wide-open spaces where mechanical tools are too slow or inaccurate.
This approach is still in development, but early trials are promising. Honeybees offer a novel approach to surveying large fields without disturbing the ground or risking human lives. Unlike dogs or rats, they require no handlers in the danger zone, which adds another layer of safety. These insects could become vital in areas with vast mine contamination and little funding. Researchers are also exploring how local beekeepers can help maintain colonies for ongoing detection work. While the bees may not disarm the mines themselves, they are helping point us to danger, one flight at a time.
Elephants May Be Avoiding Landmines Using Their Feet
In parts of Sri Lanka and India, wild elephants have been observed avoiding minefields, even in areas with no visible warning signs. Scientists believe elephants may detect slight changes in ground density or vibration through the sensitive pads on their feet. These animals communicate using low-frequency rumbles that travel through the earth, so they’re naturally attuned to seismic cues. When they sense something unusual beneath the surface, they often stop, shift direction, or lead the herd away. This behavior has sparked interest from conservationists and engineers alike. Some researchers are now designing mine-detection sensors modeled after the anatomy of an elephant’s foot. By mimicking the way elephants detect underground disturbances, new tools may help identify mines more accurately.
Although elephants are not used directly in landmine clearance, their instincts are teaching humans how to approach the problem differently. GPS data from elephant movement patterns is being used to map suspected danger zones in rural forests. These patterns sometimes align with known or suspected minefields, offering a natural guide for clearance teams. In the meantime, local communities are learning to observe and respect the elephants’ behavior as a warning system. This unexpected partnership between humans and wildlife shows that nature often knows best. Even without training or equipment, elephants are helping protect lives simply by listening to the ground.
Dolphins Use Natural Sonar to Locate Underwater Mines
Bottlenose dolphins have been trained by military programs, including the U.S. Navy, to locate underwater mines using echolocation. These marine mammals emit clicking sounds that bounce off objects and return to them like sonar, allowing them to “see” shapes hidden beneath the ocean floor. When a dolphin finds a suspicious object, it either drops a floating marker nearby or signals a handler at the surface. This makes it easier for divers or robots to investigate and remove the threat. Dolphins can operate in murky water, strong currents, and cluttered environments where machines struggle. Their agility and intelligence make them ideal for quickly scanning large harbor zones. In some missions, a single dolphin can search tens of thousands of square meters in one day.
These animals have been used in real-world operations, including during the Iraq War and in major naval ports. While some critics raise ethical concerns, military trainers emphasize the dolphins’ safety and well-being throughout the process. The animals receive regular health checks, enrichment activities, and specialized care when not working. No manmade sonar system has yet matched their precision in unpredictable underwater terrain. Dolphins are not used in civilian demining, but their role in clearing naval mines has helped keep coastal shipping lanes safe. As new technologies emerge, dolphins may one day retire, but for now, their skills remain unmatched in the water.
Sea Lions Thrive in Cold Water and Tag Threats With Their Noses
California sea lions are used by the U.S. Navy to locate underwater mines and recover equipment in cold or murky coastal waters. These intelligent, agile animals are trained to detect mine-like objects and attach floating markers to them without disturbing the area. They rely on sharp vision and sensitive whiskers, allowing them to work effectively even in poor visibility. Unlike machines, sea lions can navigate tight spaces and operate without sonar or complex gear. Their thick blubber keeps them warm during long dives in chilly environments like harbors and offshore zones.
Training takes place at the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program in San Diego, where handlers use fish rewards and repetition to teach sea lions how to follow commands and return after tasks. They are especially useful in shallow or cluttered areas where robots struggle. Though less known than the Navy’s dolphins, sea lions play an essential role in military mine detection. After retirement, many are relocated to marine sanctuaries or aquariums.
Pigs Were Early Landmine Detectors but Their Careers Were Short
Before dogs and rats became the standard for mine detection, pigs were tested for the job due to their powerful sense of smell. Early trials in the 1960s investigated how pigs could be trained to detect TNT using food rewards, a method similar to those used in canine training. While they showed promise in controlled environments, pigs proved too heavy and unpredictable for actual minefields. Their weight made it more likely they would trigger pressure-based explosives. In some cases, pigs became distracted by food in the soil or tried to eat contaminated dirt, creating new safety risks. Despite their intelligence and trainability, their behavior was difficult to manage in the field. As a result, they were gradually replaced by lighter, more agile animals.
Still, pigs helped researchers understand how animals could be used for scent-based detection. Their brief involvement laid the groundwork for modern scent-training techniques now used with rats and dogs. Today, some scientists are revisiting the idea of using smaller pig breeds, such as mini-pigs, which are easier to handle and less likely to trigger mines. These trials are still in the early stages. Still, they reflect a growing interest in low-cost, animal-based detection systems. Although pigs are no longer a major part of demining programs, their role in early research remains essential. They were the first to demonstrate that an animal’s sense of smell could aid in solving one of the deadliest problems left behind by war.
Mice May Be the Next Tiny Warriors in Mine Detection
Scientists are now testing whether mice could join the ranks of landmine-detecting animals. Mice have an exceptional sense of smell and an incredibly light body weight, which makes them unlikely to trigger buried explosives. In recent lab studies, researchers have trained mice to pause or freeze when they detect TNT vapor, using food rewards and repetition. Some experiments involve placing mice in mobile enclosures or lightweight sleds that glide across the ground. As the mice sniff through grates, cameras record their movements and behavior. When a mouse freezes repeatedly in one spot, it indicates that explosives may be present beneath the surface. This setup enables safe and efficient scanning, even in sensitive or fragile environments.
Field trials are still limited, but the early results are promising. Mice could eventually be used in rice paddies, marshlands, or densely packed urban zones where machines and larger animals struggle. Their small size also makes them easier and cheaper to transport, train, and house. In some prototypes, multiple mice work in tandem, increasing accuracy without increasing weight. Researchers are currently working on integrating GPS and sensors to enhance tracking and data collection. If successful, mice may soon play a key role in low-cost, community-based demining programs. These tiny creatures could help solve a massive problem, one sniff at a time.
These Animals Are Reclaiming Farmland, Schools, and Homes
Beyond their technical skill, these animals are helping restore something even more valuable: peace of mind. In Angola, Cambodia, and parts of Eastern Europe, farmland has been cleared, schools have reopened, and families have returned to homes once surrounded by danger. Whether it’s a rat sweeping a field or a dog leading a team down a cleared path, the impact is deeply personal and profoundly human.
Animal detection balances science with simplicity. While machines require fuel and maintenance, animals rely on instinct and trust. They’re fast, accurate, and adaptable, making them ideal for use in remote or challenging terrain. For communities with limited resources, they offer hope at a fraction of the cost. These creatures may not know their purpose, but their work is changing lives. They’re not just detecting mines; they’re rebuilding futures.
Princess Diana’s Legacy Lives On One Sniff, Dive, or Paw Print at a Time
Landmines remain one of the deadliest leftovers of war. But with the help of rats, dogs, bees, dolphins, pigs, and even mice, we’re reclaiming the land, one detection at a time. These animals are not just locating hidden explosives; they’re helping to rebuild entire communities, making it possible for farmers to till fields and for children to walk to school without fear.
This quiet revolution began with awareness. In 1997, Princess Diana’s brave walk through a minefield shifted the world’s focus. Her compassion helped launch global action, and now, decades later, that mission is being carried forward, not just by policy and technology, but by the natural instincts of our animal allies. These living heroes are doing what machines often cannot. They’re not just clearing land. They’re making way for life to begin again.
