Summary
Cambodia has unveiled a statue to honor Magawa, a rat known for detecting landmines. Magawa sniffed out over 100 explosives in Cambodia during his five-year career, using his sense of smell to identify danger. The statue was revealed to coincide with the International Day for Mine Awareness.
Key Facts
- Magawa was an African giant pouched rat trained to detect landmines.
- He was trained by the Belgian charity Apopo and began working in Cambodia in 2016.
- Magawa detected over 100 landmines and other explosives.
- He received a PDSA Gold Medal for his efforts, the first rat to receive this award.
- Magawa worked on clearing 141,000 square meters of land, similar in size to 20 football fields.
- The statue honoring Magawa is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
- His work was part of efforts to remove landmines, with Cambodia aiming to be mine-free by 2030.
- Magawa retired due to old age and died in 2022.
