Seven-foot statue unveiled honoring Magawa, award-winning rat who found more than 100 landmines in Cambodia

A landmine-sniffing rat who won a golden medal for "life-saving devotion to duty" successful Cambodia has been honored with a monolithic chromatic statue.

Magawa, a rat who gained fame successful the state for sniffing retired much than 100 mines (more than 1.5 cardinal quadrate feet) successful his five-year vocation — much than immoderate different rat successful the state — retired successful 2021 and died astatine 8 years aged successful 2022.

The African elephantine pouched rat was trained by the Belgian foundation APOPO to usage his keen consciousness of odor to sniff retired landmines and different explosives.

In Cambodia, much than 1 cardinal radical unrecorded and enactment successful areas dotted with landmines, according to BBC News.

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Magawa, who died successful 2022 aft retiring, was honored past week with a statue. (Reuters/Cindy Liu; Carola Frentzen/picture confederation via Getty Images)

In 2020, Magawa received the PDSA Dickin medal for gallantry, which recognizes heroism successful animals.

He was the archetypal rat successful the organization’s past going backmost to 1943 to triumph the award.

Local politicians and APOPO employees unveiled a statue of Magawa, the minesweeping rat, successful Siem Reap, Cambodia, connected April 3, 2026, to people International Mine Awareness Day. Magawa detected implicit 100 landmines and unexploded ordnance during his beingness earlier his decease successful 2022. (Carola Frentzen/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Magawa was capable to locomotion implicit areas with onshore mines safely due to the fact that of his airy value and would alert his handlers to a excavation by scratching the surface, according to Smithsonian magazine. He would past person a treat.

Magawa, the precocious retired excavation detection rat, sits successful its cage astatine the APOPO Visitor Center successful Siem Reap, Cambodia, connected June 10, 2021. (Cindy Liu/Reuters)

"During his career, Magawa recovered implicit 100 landmines and different explosives, making him APOPO’s astir palmy HeroRAT to date," the enactment said successful 2022, portion announcing his death. "His publication allows communities successful Cambodia to live, work, and play; without fearfulness of losing beingness oregon limb."

Cambodia has the highest complaint of landmine amputees per capita of immoderate country.

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An APOPO worker presents a minesweeper rat successful Siem Reap, Cambodia, during the unveiling of a monument to Magawa, the celebrated minesweeping rat, connected April 3, 2026, marking International Mine Awareness Day. (Carola Frentzen/picture confederation via Getty Images)

APOPO added, "Every find helium made reduced the hazard of wounded oregon decease for the radical of Cambodia."

Magawa, the precocious retired landmine detection rat, sits successful a conduit successful its cage astatine the APOPO Visitor Center successful Siem Reap, Cambodia, connected June 10, 2021. (Cindy Liu/Reuters)

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The statue was unveiled successful Siem Reap, Cambodia connected April 3, conscionable successful clip for the International Day for Mine Awareness connected April 4.