Magawa, a five-year-old possum, has been awarded a badge of courage for his “heroism and immeasurable dedication”. The bug is part of it Hero Rat Program, an initiative of the Belgian NGO Apopo, and has detected countless landmines and other explosives in Cambodia over five years.
–
Magawa was decorated with a gold medal on Friday. He received the badge of honor – the animal variant of a Badge of Bravery and Self-Sacrifice – from the British NGO The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (P.D.S.A.). Magawa’s list of achievements is therefore nothing short of impressive: the animal has tracked down 39 mines and 28 other jumping equipment and a total of 14 hectares of minefields’gecleared‘. Cambodia is believed to have at least four million more landmines, a remnant remnant of the conflict surrounding the deposition of the Khmer Rouge. In total, more than 40,000 Cambodians have lost a limb as a result of landmines.
While rats don’t usually enjoy a reputation, they make excellent minesweepers. Thanks to their intelligence and a fine nose, they can flawlessly detect mines and other jumping equipment. They are also very fast workers. An ‘explosive rat’ needs 20 minutes to comb out 200 square meters, a person with a metal detector takes four days. If he finds an explosive, he will scratch the ground to indicate where the mine is. Another big advantage: the animals do not weigh enough to set off mines, unlike humans.
For now Magawa is the most successful ‘Hero rat’ ever, no other rat has found more explosives. “That deserves extra snacks,” said the PDSA spokesperson who presented him with his medal.
––
