Quick Take
- The non-profit organization APOPO uses trained rats to detect landmines in Cambodia.
- Given the history of conflict in Cambodia, millions of landmines remain undetonated and pose a danger to the health and safety of those who live there.
- The rats are trained to smell out TNT, the chemical in the landmines that causes explosions.
Animals aren’t just amazing pets or fun to look at; they are also incredibly intelligent and assist humans every day. We’re all aware of the importance of service animals like dogs and cats, but did you know that rats can help humans, too? One particularly dangerous way they help is by sniffing out landmines! In Cambodia, the African giant pouched rat Magawa helped sniff out more than 100 landmines, preventing accidental injuries and deaths. This Instagram post by @washingtonpost shares more about the story. Read here to learn more about how Magawa has been commemorated for his hard work.
APOPO rats work with handlers to detect the chemical TNT, allowing for safe excavation.
©© APOPO – Original
About Magawa the Rat
Magawa, the rat, had an extremely important job: helping to end a decades-long issue in Cambodia. That issue was landmines forgotten over time. Due to decades of conflict, including Cambodia’s civil war, the Khmer Rouge regime, and spillover from the Vietnam War, an estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and unexploded bombs were laid throughout the country, with little record of where they were placed. This has caused a major humanitarian problem for the country, with accidental detonations injuring and killing people even to this day. To help prevent further injury and death, nonprofit organizations like APOPO train rats to detect landmines, aiming to restore hope and peace to affected communities. Thanks to their efforts, rats like Magawa have been able to sniff out hundreds of landmines over the years.
Magawa was born in 2013 in Tanzania and was deployed to Cambodia in 2016. He worked for about five years to sniff out the deadly explosives before passing away in 2022. Rats have an amazing sense of smell and can go through training to detect specific scents. Magawa was able to detect trinitrotoluene, or simply, the chemical TNT. If Magawa detected the chemical, he would scratch at the ground to alert professional handlers.
Magawa is notable for being one of the most successful rats ever, having found over 100 landmines. Thanks to his efforts, more than 141,000 square meters—roughly 20 soccer fields—were cleared. Those living in the community can now live safely without fear of being hurt. To commemorate Magawa’s hard work, a statue honoring him was unveiled in the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia, in April. The statue honors his life-saving work and continues to raise awareness of the important role these rats play.
Why Rats?
You may be wondering why rats are used for this job, especially when devices like metal detectors exist. There are a few reasons why using rats helps keep both humans and the rats themselves safe. Rats are lightweight, which helps to prevent accidental detonations. They can also cover a large area and are relatively easy to train for the job. Finally, they are extremely efficient at the job. Metal detectors might seem like a great method, but they can result in many false positives. Rats like Magawa can detect the explosive chemicals in landmines, something metal detectors cannot do. Because of this, the rats can ignore harmless metal objects in the ground and effectively detect real danger. Thanks to ongoing demining efforts, including the work of trained rats, Cambodia continues to make progress on reducing landmine casualties.
