Magawa, a Cambodian mine and bomb detecting rat, died at age 8

Magawa, a decorated rat for detecting antipersonnel mines in Cambodia, died last weekend at the age of 8, reported the Belgian NGO APOPO.

“Magawa was in good health and spent most of his time playing with his usual enthusiasm. As the weekend approached, he seemed slower and slept more, showing less interest in food in his last days, “said the NGO in charge of his training and care in a statement on Tuesday.

Magawa retired last June after five years of work in which his nose has allowed him to find more than 100 mines and unexploded bombs in the second country most affected by these types of weapons after Afghanistan.

In his tenure, Magawa cleared a 225,000-square-meter area of ​​explosives in areas of Cambodia affected by bombs and abandoned mines, helping locals regain their activities without fear of death or amputation.

The work of this giant African rat, born in Tanzania in 2013, was recognized in September 2020 by the organization PDSA (acronym for People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals), which rewards animals for their bravery and devotion, by awarding them a gold medal.

This recognition made her the first rat to receive such an award in PDSA’s 77-year history and share the glory with numerous dogs, some horses, pigeons and a cat.

APOPO trains rats to detect the chemicals in explosives and ignore abandoned metal scraps to find unexploded ordnance much faster.

Cambodia is the second most affected country by landmines in the world after Afghanistan, and it is believed that up to 6 million were laid during the armed conflicts that ravaged the country between 1975 and 1998, of which 3 million have not yet been located. .

Antipersonnel mines have caused around 64,000 victims in the country, which has the highest number of amputees by them per capita in the world: more than 40,000 people for a population of 16 million inhabitants. (I)