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Statue Unveiled for Heroic Landmine-Detecting Rat Magawa

4/12/2026

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Summary

Story summary

A statue of Magawa, a landmine-sniffing Gambian pouched rat trained by APOPO, was unveiled in Siem Reap on April 3.
Magawa found over 100 landmines in his five-year career, helping make areas safer for the local population.
He received the PDSA Dickin Medal in 2020, becoming the first rat to earn this award.
Magawa died in 2022 at age 8.
Cambodia has the highest rate of landmine amputees per capita.

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Story summary

A statue of Magawa, a landmine-sniffing Gambian pouched rat trained by APOPO, was unveiled in Siem Reap on April 3.
Magawa found over 100 landmines in his five-year career, helping make areas safer for the local population.
He received the PDSA Dickin Medal in 2020, becoming the first rat to earn this award.
Magawa died in 2022 at age 8.
Cambodia has the highest rate of landmine amputees per capita.