Cambodia Unveils 7-Foot Statue for Hero Landmine Rat

An African giant pouched rat once saved lives every single day in Cambodia, and now he's being remembered as the hero he truly was.

Magawa spent five years sniffing out landmines and unexploded bombs across Cambodia, clearing more than 1.5 million square feet of dangerous ground. On April 3, officials unveiled a seven-foot stone statue in Siem Reap to honor his lifesaving work.

The rat had a superpower that made him perfect for the job: an incredible sense of smell that could detect chemicals in buried explosives. Belgian organization APOPO trained Magawa and sent him to Cambodia in 2016 when he was just two years old.

His method was simple but effective. When Magawa smelled a mine, he would scratch at the ground and receive a peanut or banana slice as a reward. Because he weighed so little, he could safely walk over minefields that would be deadly for humans.

Speed gave Magawa another advantage. He could search an area the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes, making him one of APOPO's fastest and most successful rats ever.

Cambodia desperately needed heroes like Magawa. Decades of conflict starting with the Vietnam War left millions of landmines scattered across the country, giving Cambodia the highest rate of mine amputees per capita in the world. More than 40,000 people have lost limbs to these hidden explosives.

Magawa's work directly protected families who could finally live without fear. The land he cleared allowed communities to safely work, play, and build their lives again.

In 2020, he became the first rat ever to receive a gold medal for bravery from the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. The carved stone statue shows Magawa standing upright, proudly wearing that medal.

Magawa retired in 2021 due to his age and died peacefully a year later at age 8. Before his death, he trained younger rats by example, passing on his expertise to the next generation of lifesavers.

The Ripple Effect

Magawa's legacy extends far beyond the 100-plus explosives he personally detected. Cambodia has cleared more than 1,300 square miles of explosive remnants since 1992, and trained animals like Magawa have been instrumental in that progress.

His statue was unveiled at a ceremony attended by government officials and landmine survivors, held just before the International Day for Mine Awareness on April 4. Another rat named Ronin has already followed in his footsteps, setting a Guinness world record in 2025 for the most landmines detected by a rat in a lifetime.

Cambodia aims to be completely landmine-free by 2030, and every rat trained in Magawa's image brings that dream closer to reality.