Updated October 9, 2026 at 6:45 AM MDT
Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode Small But Mighty.
Landmines are scattered across dozens of countries threatening to kill or harm unsuspecting civilians. Bart Weetjens founded an organization training rats to protect humans by sniffing out these landmines.
About Bart Weetjens
Bart Weetjens is a Zen Buddhist monk and former industrial engineer who founded Apopo, an organization that trains animals to sniff out landmines and illnesses like tuberculosis.
Weetjens worked with Apopo training rats until Mozambique officially announced itself free from landmines in 2015, when he transitioned into his new life as a social entrepreneur and Zen Buddhist monk. He is currently involved with the The Wellbeing Project, which aims to catalyze a culture of inner wellbeing for all changemakers.
He received his master's degree in product design from Antwerp University in 1990.
This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Susannah Broun and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.
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