An African giant pouched rat named Magawa has earned a medal for his “lifesaving bravery and devotion to duty” in his work to detect land mines in Cambodia.
The New York Times reports that Magawa is the first rat to receive the award, which is handed out by the U.K. veterinary charity People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals. During his four-year tenure, Magawa has uncovered 39 land mines and 28 pieces of unexploded ordnance, and helped clear over 1.5 million square feet of land.
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“Magawa’s work directly saves and changes the lives of men, women and children who are impacted by these land mines,” Jan McLoughlin, the director general of the charity told the Times. “Every discovery he makes reduces the risk of injury or death for local people.”
He added, “Magawa’s dedication, skill, and bravery are an extraordinary example of this and deserve the highest possible recognition.”
It’s thought that over 5 million land mines are in Cambodia from the time of the Khmer Rouge during the 1980s and '90s. Unexploded ordnance has also been strewn across the southeast Asian country from the U.S.’s airstrikes during the Vietnam War. Land mines and various explosives have injured more than 64,000 people since 1979, with over 25,000 needing amputations.
The 5-year-old African giant pouched rat’s work is part of the Hero Rat initiative overseen by the Belgian nonprofit APOPO, which trains rats to identify land mines and tuberculosis in Southeast Asia and Africa. Magawa has been the most successful rat from the program, where he’s taught to detect TNT. He’s able to discover land mines at a faster rate than humans, with an ability to cover an area the size of a tennis court in 30 minutes, something that would take a person four days. When he discovers a mine, he scratches at the ground as a signal to his handler. He’s also too light to detonate a mine.
Rats like Magawa “significantly speed up land mine detection using their amazing sense of smell and excellent memory,” Christophe Cox, APOPO’s chief executive, said. “This not only saves lives, but returns much-needed safe land back to the communities as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.”
Magawa’s handler, Malen describes the rat as “very quick and decisive,” though he is also “the first one to take a nap during a break.”
“He is very special to me,” Malen said, who’s been working with Magawa for four years. “He has found many land mines in his career and saved many lives of the Cambodian people.”
