Cambodia unveils world's first statue of landmine-detecting rat Magawa

Cambodia has unveiled a stone statue of Magawa, an African giant pouched rat that discovered over 100 landmines and other explosives during five years of service, clearing 141,000 square metres of contaminated land – an area the size of 20 football pitches.

The statue, the world's first dedicated to a landmine-detecting rodent, honors the rat's contributions to mine clearance in a country still plagued by millions of landmines left over from decades of war.

Magawa, who died at age eight, began his career in Cambodia in 2016. Using his keen sense of smell, he detected the chemical compounds in landmines and alerted deminers to their locations. His light body weight meant he could walk safely over the mines without detonating them.

The rat could search an area the size of a tennis court in about 20 minutes – far more efficiently than a human. During his five years of service, Magawa significantly reduced casualties caused by landmines in the country.

Magawa was trained by APOPO, a Belgian charity mine-clearing organization. Other mine-detecting rats trained by the organization remain in service in Cambodia.