Cambodia unveils a statue of famous landmine-sniffing rat Magawa

"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](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59951255), 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](https://stories.undp.org/commemorating-three-decades-of-undp-work-against-the-brutality-of-landmines). Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, was trained by the Belgian charity Apopo before moving to Cambodia to begin his bomb-sniffing career in 2016. 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 later safely removed. During his time, Magawa cleared more than 141,000 square metres (1,517,711 sq ft) of land - the equivalent of 20 football pitches – and could search a field the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes. In 2020, Magawa was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal – known as the George Cross for animals – for his "life-saving devotion to duty". He was the first rat to be given the medal in the charity's 77-year history. Following a short retirement due to old age and ["slowing down"](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57345703), Magawa died in 2022. Apopo's Cambodia Programme Manager, Michael Raine, said on Friday the monument for Magawa "is a reminder to the international community that there's still a job to be done here". Cambodia now has a target date of 2030 to become mine-free, he added. The charity has been training its rodents, also known as HeroRATS, since the 1990s. Because of their small size, the rats are not heavy enough to detonate mines, making them a safer option than humans. They can even [detect tuberculosis](https://apopo.org/what-we-do/detecting-tuberculosis/?v=8bcc25c96aa5), an infectious disease that commonly affects the lungs, far quicker than it would be found in a lab using conventional microscopy, Apopo has said. They have also been trained to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking in Tanzania. Another [Apopo-trained rat](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ewxjjw842o), named Ronin, set a [new world record](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/675945-most-landmines-detected-by-a-rat) in 2025 by uncovering 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance since 2021. Ronin's impressive work in Cambodia's northern Preah Vihear province surpassed the previous record held Magawa."

I highly recommend sponsoring a HeroRat/donating to [APOPO](https://apopo.org/?v=5435c69ed3bc) I sponsored Magawa through APOPO for a year, 2016-17. It was nice to receive a monthly impact update that detailed the total area of land cleared by Magawa and trainer that month, as well as the number and type of hazards removed (landmines, UXO, etc...) When my financial situation improves, I'd like to sponsor another HeroRat. God knows how many landmines and pieces of unexploded ordnance remain in areas where conflict has occured around the world. Victims of UXO are often children who were playing and farmers who were working their fields. Being able to quickly clear a survey area with a Herorat that can smell TNT and signal their handler is an impressive feat. Some landmines contain little or no ferrous metals and can not reliably be detected with metal detectors alone. There are economic and social benefits of having land surveyed and definitively cleared of UXO. - areas are made safe for play (an important component of childhood development) - areas of land returned to locals for farming can provide subsistence/profit for the farmers and their families I should mention that HeroRats can alternatively be trained to smell and indicate tuberculosis

Show us the statue... smh.

Magawa - in Tagalog roughly means "do it"

8 years old?! Damn thats like 3 lifetimes in rat years

Magawa was a hero!!! I used to keep up with HeroRATS, they do amazing work!

Dang I can't load the video of me holding this brave soul! She has saved so many lives. And was very sweet and fluffy!

Your post also inspired me to donate to support two hero rats, one for my wife and one for my son. Thank you! Great post : )

I wonder how the hell you train a rat to find a landmine.

Trump will want the rat's medal.

I can't wait for the John Oliver segment on this.

[ Removed by Listnook ]

May he finally be able to retire from the rat race