Cambodia Unveils World's First Statue Honoring Heroic Landmine Rat

A Remarkable Career Cut Short

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. The statue, the world's first dedicated to a landmine-detecting rodent, honors the rat's contributions to mine clearance in a country still plagued by millions of landmines left over from decades of war.

The statue, crafted from local stone by artists, was revealed in Siem Reap, Cambodia on Friday, in time for the International Day for Mine Awareness on 4 April. According to BBC News, landmines continue to pose a serious threat in Cambodia, where over a million people live and work on land contaminated by explosives. He received the PDSA Gold Medal on September 25, 2020, for his work, and was the first rat to do so. Magawa was the most successful mine-sniffing rat in APOPO's history when he received his medal, and was described by the program's manager in Cambodia as a "very exceptional rat" upon his retirement.

Revolutionary Detection Methods

Using his keen sense of smell, he detected the chemical compounds in landmines and alerted deminers to their locations. His light body weight meant he could walk safely over the mines without detonating them. The rat could search an area the size of a tennis court in about 20 minutes – far more efficiently than a human. Magawa was trained to sniff out TNT in explosives, allowing him to disregard scrap metal that would confuse metal detectors.

After being trained to sniff out landmines as a HeroRAT, he was moved to Siem Reap, Cambodia, in 2016 to begin landmine-removal work. Magawa was trained by APOPO, a Belgian charity mine-clearing organization. The charity has been training its rodents, also known as HeroRATS, since the 1990s. Because of their small size, the rats are not heavy enough to detonate mines, making them a safer option than humans.

Broader Applications and Impact

They can even detect tuberculosis, an infectious disease that commonly affects the lungs, far quicker than it would be found in a lab using conventional microscopy, Apopo has said. They have also been trained to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking in Tanzania. The versatility of these animals demonstrates how nature's solutions can address multiple humanitarian challenges simultaneously.

Another Apopo-trained rat, named Ronin, set a new world record in 2025 by uncovering 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance since 2021. Ronin's impressive work in Cambodia's northern Preah Vihear province surpassed the previous record held Magawa. This continued success proves that Magawa's legacy extends far beyond his individual achievements.

A Symbol of Hope

Apopo's Cambodia Programme Manager, Michael Raine, said on Friday the monument for Magawa "is a reminder to the international community that there's still a job to be done here". Cambodia now has a target date of 2030 to become mine-free, he added. The statue, situated along the Siem Reap riverbank, not only commemorates Magawa's achievements but also symbolises the hope and renewal that come with demining efforts. It stands as a tribute to the innovative techniques introduced by APOPO in Cambodia and to the collective dedication of the international community.

While Magawa's story ended when he passed away peacefully in January 2022, his monument represents something larger than one remarkable rat. It embodies humanity's capacity to find creative solutions to seemingly intractable problems, proving that sometimes the smallest heroes can make the biggest difference in rebuilding a safer world.