Magawa, the African giant pouched rat, saved countless lives and limbs by sniffing out landmines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia.
Cambodia has millions of landmines and unexploded bombs as a result of decades of war and bombing by the United States. As a result, the country has over 25,000 amputees, the highest rate of amputation per capita in the world. APOPO, a Belgian non-profit, has been training rats, appropriately called HeroRATs, to detect diseases and explosives, and even fight crime.
Magawa and his fellow heroRATs have located hundreds of dangerous explosives, enabling their safe removal. The rats are too small to set off the mines, and happily work for food. APOPO has erected a statue of Magawa in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The statue was unveiled to coincide with the International Day for Mine Awareness.
The statue of Magawa is even wearing his cute little harness and the gold medal he received from the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, a UK veterinary charity. After five years of service, Magawa retired in 2012 and passed away peacefully the following year.
Previously:
• Scientists train rats to drive little cars to collect food, and the rats like it
• Rats exposed to cell phone radiation lived longer than control group
