Cambodia has unveiled a stone statue of Magawa, an African giant pouched rat that discovered over 100 landmines and other explosives during five years of service, clearing 141,000 square metres of contaminated land – an area the size of 20 football pitches. Magawa, who died at age eight, began his career in Cambodia in 2016. The rat could search an area the size of a tennis court in about 20 minutes – far more efficiently than a human. During his five years of service, Magawa significantly reduced casualties caused by landmines in the country. Other mine-detecting rats trained by the organization remain in service in Cambodia.

Source: The Standard April 06, 2026 11:03 UTC