HeroRAT Magawa. (Photo: PDSA / Fox News)
A giant African pocket rat named Magawa was awarded the award for his work detecting landmines in Cambodia. The rat was awarded a gold medal from the International Veterinary Charities.
UK charity PDSA named Magawa this year's gold medalist for life-saving dedication to clearing Cambodia's deadly landmines.
The 7 year old rodent is much larger than the average domestic rat. But Magawa is still light enough to walk on landmines without killing him.
Apopo, a Belgian non-profit in Tanzania, trains Magawa to sniff out landmines.
"*[It is very safe for HeroRATs like Magawa to detect landmines. They are very intelligent animals that are easy to train. Magawa started training from a young age after being raised by Apopo for this purpose," said the PDSA, as quoted by Fox News , Sunday (27 / 9/2020).
So far Magawa has found 39 landmines and 28 unexploded weapons. That makes it the most successful APOP HeroRats.
There are an estimated 6 million landmines in Cambodia, according to the BBC . They also report that the inscription on the Magawa gold medal reads, "To animal courage or devotion to duty."
Prior to Magawa, 30 animal hero awards were awarded to a number of dogs.
"To receive this medal is truly an honor for us," Apopo chief executive Christophe Cox told the BBC .
"But it's also big for the people in Cambodia and all the people around the world who suffer from landmines," he added.
This is indeed interesting.
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