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Tanzania: Hero Rats

Season 2007 | 10m 51s

Bart Weetjens founded a unique lab in Tanzania dedicated to training rats to sniff out deadly unexploded land mines — the legacy of countless bloody conflicts. Although dogs had traditionally been used to help humans detect mines, Weetjens, who had long felt a special bond with rodents, realized that African giant pouched rats were lighter, cheaper to care for, and less susceptible to disease.

Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Trust with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
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Veteran underground coal miners suffer from black lung disease at highest rates in nearly 50 years.
The rising fear of deportation for hundreds of thousands of Haitians who fled to the U.S.
Following the changing views and experiences of Americans from the 2020 election to today.
How online scams steal billions of dollars and ruin victims’ lives.
Examining the alliance between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Donald Trump.
Have lax laws left the for-profit adoption industry ripe for misconduct?
The key players behind President Trump’s expansive use of the U.S. military.
President Trump’s unprecedented challenges to the Federal Reserve and what it means for the economy.
A feud between the revolutionary group MOVE and Philadelphia officials reached a bloody culmination.
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