In brief
Magawa, the famed landmine-sniffing rat recognized for his bravery, has been honored in Cambodia with a statue crafted from local stone. This unveiling coincides with the International Day for Mine Awareness, highlighting ongoing efforts to mitigate landmine risks in the country that still affect many lives.
A famous mine-clearing rat, who was awarded a gold medal for his heroism, has been commemorated with the world's first statue dedicated to a landmine-detecting rat. Magawa, who lived to eight years old, sniffed out over 100 landmines and other explosives in Cambodia during his five-year career that started in 2016. A statue of the rodent carved from local stone by artists was unveiled in Siem Reap, Cambodia on Friday, in time for the International Day for Mine Awareness on 4 April.Landmines remain an ongoing risk to Cambodia, and more than a million people continue to work and live on land contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance, according to the United Nations. Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, was trained by the Belgian charity Apopo before moving to Cambodia. Using his acute sense of smell and training to detect a chemical compound within explosives, Magawa would then alert human handlers of mines that could be removed safely. He cleared more than 141,000 square meters (1,517,711 sq ft) of land, equivalent to 20 football pitches.In 2020, Magawa was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal, the equivalent of a George Cross for animals, for his 'life-saving devotion to duty'. Following a short retirement due to old age, Magawa died in 2022. Apopo's Cambodia Programme Manager, Michael Raine, emphasized that the monument for Magawa serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts needed to address landmine contamination, with a target date of 2030 for Cambodia to become mine-free.
