Photo: Antony Holvoet/Apopo.
The statue of Magawa, the land-mine-sniffing rat, was unveiled on the eve of International Day for Mine Awareness. Land mines are illegal under international law because they kill so many innocents, but countries still use them. Talented rats will continue to be needed.
Probably most of you have a reason to hate rats, but it’s important to note that rats can not only be useful in science but heroic in helping clear land mines. Today’s article is about a rat that prevented so much death and dismemberment that he’s been honored with his own statue.
Sydney Page writes at the Washington Post, “Although Magawa weighed less than three pounds, his impact was monumental. The African giant pouched rat sniffed out more than 100 land mines during his five-year career, saving countless lives.
“To honor his bravery, a seven-foot statue of Magawa was unveiled [in Cambodia], where he spent his time nose-down on high-stakes missions. Magawa died in 2022, but his legacy lives on.
“ ‘Magawa was one of the best rats we’ve ever had,’ said Michael Raine, a program manager in Cambodia for Apopo — a Belgium-based nonprofit that trains animals to detect land mines. ‘Magawa was calm and focused … he was gentle and friendly with his handlers. He just had the perfect temperament.’
“Born in 2013 at Apopo’s headquarters in Tanzania, Magawa was trained as a ‘HeroRAT,’ learning to harness his strong sense of smell to detect explosives. In 2016, he was relocated to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to begin his career, quickly rising to the top among Apopo’s rats. He even has his own Wikipedia page.
“Raine said Magawa could search a field the size of a tennis court within about 20 minutes — a task that would take a human several days. …
“Apopo trains rats using positive reinforcement, teaching them to identify chemical compounds in explosives, such as trinitrotoluene. When a rat detects a land mine, it scratches the surface, alerting its handler. The rat is then rewarded with a treat, typically a peanut or a slice of banana. …
“ ‘They’re so light they wouldn’t trigger a land mine,’ Raine said. Plus, ‘they have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and they are quite intelligent.’
“Cambodia has one of the world’s highest concentrations of land mines, largely stemming from the Khmer Rouge era in 1979 and the Vietnamese occupation between 1979 and 1989.
“In the past 47 years, land mines in Cambodia have caused about 18,800 deaths and 45,000 injuries. Apopo started training mine-detection rats in 2015, which helped speed up the efforts to locate mines, though an estimated 6 million land mines remain in Cambodia, according to Apopo. … Raine said, ‘Cambodia’s target is to be land mine free by 2030.’
“Magawa’s individual impact is remarkable, Raine said. He cleared more than 1.52 million square feet — roughly 26 football fields — and detected dozens of land mines. In 2020, Magawa became the first rat to receive the PDSA Gold Medal, which rewards animal bravery and devotion to duty. …
“After retiring in 2021, Magawa spent several weeks mentoring younger rats, helping them refine their detection skills by his example. …
“The giant statue of Magawa, hand-carved from stone by local artists, was commissioned by Apopo and unveiled on the eve of International Day for Mine Awareness. In attendance were government officials, including the head of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority. Land-mine victims were also present, as well as children from a local school.
“ ‘What Magawa delivered was excellent, and it was a good way to remember him and also remind people in a nice way that there’s still a mine problem here in Cambodia,’ Raine said.”
More at the Post, here.
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