Cambodia has unveiled the world's first statue dedicated to a landmine-detecting rat, honoring the heroic rodent Magawa for his life-saving work. The stone monument was revealed in Siem Reap on Friday, coinciding with the International Day for Mine Awareness on April 4th.
Magawa, an African giant pouched rat trained by Belgian charity Apopo, sniffed out over 100 landmines and other explosives during his five-year career that began in 2016. His remarkable sense of smell allowed him to detect chemical compounds in explosives, alerting human handlers to dangerous areas that could then be safely cleared.
"This monument for Magawa is a reminder to the international community that there's still a job to be done here," said Michael Raine, Apopo's Cambodia Programme Manager, during the unveiling ceremony.
During his service, Magawa cleared more than 141,000 square meters of land—equivalent to 20 football fields—and could search a tennis court-sized area in just 20 minutes. His small size made him particularly effective, as his weight wasn't enough to detonate mines, providing a safer alternative to human deminers.
In 2020, Magawa received the PDSA Gold Medal, often described as the animal equivalent of the George Cross, becoming the first rat in the charity's 77-year history to earn this honor. The award recognized his "life-saving devotion to duty" in a country where landmines continue to pose significant risks.
According to United Nations estimates, more than one million people in Cambodia still live and work on land contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance. The country has set a target to become mine-free by 2030.
Magawa retired in 2021 due to old age and passed away in 2022 at eight years old. His legacy continues through other Apopo-trained "HeroRATS" who have taken up similar work. One such rat, Ronin, recently set a new world record by detecting 109 landmines and 15 unexploded ordnance items since 2021, surpassing Magawa's previous achievements.
Beyond landmine detection, Apopo's rats have been trained for other humanitarian purposes, including detecting tuberculosis far more quickly than conventional laboratory methods and preventing illegal wildlife trafficking in Tanzania.