A Hero Rat Honored: Statue Unveiled for Landmine-Detecting Magawa
A seven-foot-tall, hand-carved stone statue of Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, was unveiled in Cambodia. Magawa worked for the Belgian non-profit Apopo, detecting landmines for five years before retiring in 2021 and dying in 2022.
According to Apopo, he located more than 100 landmines, helping to clear approximately 1.5 million square feet of land.
The Statue and Magawa's Career
The statue commemorates the work of Magawa, who was trained by Apopo as part of its 'HeroRATS' program. During his operational career from 2016 to 2021, he was deployed to detect unexploded ordnance.
Michael Raine, an Apopo employee in Cambodia, told the Washington Post that Magawa was "one of the best rats we've ever had," describing him as calm, focused, curious, composed, and quick at work. Following his retirement at age eight, Magawa reportedly assisted in training younger rats.
Why Use Rats for Demining?
Apopo and other organizations use rats for landmine detection for specific operational reasons:
- They possess a strong sense of smell capable of detecting chemical compounds in explosives.
- Their light weight, typically under three pounds, prevents them from triggering mines.
- They can be trained to ignore scrap metal, focusing only on explosives.
- Handlers reward rats who successfully identify a mine with food treats like bananas or peanuts, after which human teams safely demolish the ordnance.
The Landmine Problem in Cambodia
The statue's unveiling occurs against the backdrop of a persistent landmine crisis in Cambodia. Unexploded ordnance primarily remains from the Khmer Rouge era and the subsequent Vietnamese occupation in the 1970s and 1980s.
- According to data from the UK-based charity The Halo Trust, landmines in Cambodia have killed more than 18,000 people and injured more than 45,000 since 1979.
- Apopo estimates that more than six million landmines may still be buried in the country.
Organizations like Apopo continue to train and deploy animals to clear minefields from these past conflicts.