Hero rat who sniffed out over 100 land mines is honored with giant statue

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“Magawa was 1 of the champion rats we’ve ever had,” said Michael Raine, who works for Apopo, a nonprofit that trains animals to observe onshore mines.

April 8, 2026 astatine 5:00 a.m. EDT9 minutes ago

Magawa, an African elephantine pouched rat, sniffed retired much than 100 onshore mines during his five-year vocation arsenic a mine-detector successful Cambodia. He was precocious honored with a seven-foot statue. (Courtesy of Apopo)

Although Magawa weighed little than 3 pounds, his interaction was monumental. The African elephantine pouched rat sniffed retired much than 100 onshore mines during his five-year career, redeeming countless lives.

To grant his bravery, a seven-foot statue of Magawa was unveiled connected Friday successful Cambodia, wherever helium spent his clip nose-down connected high-stakes missions. Magawa died successful 2022, but his bequest lives on.