Cambodia Unveils World's First Statue Honoring Landmine-Sniffing Hero Rat Magawa

Cambodia has unveiled the world's first statue dedicated to a landmine-detecting rat, honoring Magawa, an African giant pouched rat who detected 100 landmines during his service. The statue was revealed ahead of the International Day for Mine Awareness, highlighting the ongoing threat of landmines in Cambodia where over a million people live on contaminated land. Magawa was bred in Tanzania and trained by the Belgian charity Apopo through their HeroRATS program before being deployed to Cambodia in 2016 for five years of service. His small size and light weight prevented him from triggering mines while working, and he cleared 1,517,711 square feet of land during his career, making him Apopo's most successful detection rat. Magawa could search a tennis court-sized area in just 20 minutes—a task that would take a human with a metal detector several days. He received the UK's PDSA Gold Medal in 2020, becoming the first rat to earn this high animal honor for "life-saving devotion to duty." Magawa passed away in 2022 shortly after retirement. The United Nations reports that landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to affect Cambodia despite years of de-mining efforts. Apopo described the statue on Instagram as "a symbol of hope and resilience" that makes visible both the impact of landmines and the work of HeroRATs saving lives daily.