 APOPO started as an R&D organization in Belgium in the 1990s, working with the support of research and government grants to develop the concept of Detection Rats Technology.As a pet owner, Bart Weetjens, one of the co-founders, came across an article about gerbils being used as scent detectors.He believed that rats, with their strong sense of smell and ability to be trained, could provide a better means to detect landmines.