Magawa: A Small but Mighty Mouse
Magawa is a rat. But not just any rat. He is a landmine-sniffing African giant pouched rat.
Magawa was born in 2013 at the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania. For three years, Magawa was trained to find explosives using his sense of smell. In 2016, he was moved to Siem Reap in Cambodia to begin his landmine detection career for APOPO’s HeroRats program.
APOPO trains rats to detect the scent of the explosive chemicals used in landmines and point them out to their handlers. Due to their light weight, the HeroRats can search areas without detonating the landmine and, by using clicker training, are taught to scratch the earth above a landmine. HeroRATs can search an area the size of a tennis court in 30 minutes. It would take a human with a metal detector four days to clear the same space.
During Magawa’s career as a mine detection rat, he found over 100 landmines and other explosives, making him APOPO’s most successful HeroRAT to date. As a result of his mine detections efforts, communities across Cambodia can live, work, and play without fear of losing a limb, or worse, their life.
As a result of Magawa’s work in the field, in September 2020, he was awarded a PDSA Gold Medal for life-saving bravery. The PDSA Gold Medal is the animal equivalent of the George Cross, and Magawa was the first rat ever to receive one.
During Magawa’s career, he helped clear over 225,000 square meters of land, and as a result, the land was given back to the community.
Sadly, earlier this month Magawa passed away at the age of eight. APOPO released a statement honoring Magawa, “Magawa will leave a lasting legacy in the lives that he saved as a land mine detection rat in Cambodia.”
The legacy Magawa leaves behind is one of hope and renewed faith in living in a mine-free world.
While the importance of mine detection and clearance remains a pressing issue for Cambodia, APOPO’s HeroRATs are working to help clear minefields and create a safer country for its citizens.
To learn more about APOPO’s HeroRATs and how you can help create a mine-free world, please visit https://www.apopo.org/en/herorats.