Heroism Medal for Mine-sniffing Rat
The land mine-detecting rat Magawa has been awarded the veterinary charity PDSA’s Gold Medal for his life-saving bravery and devotion to duty.
Credit: © PDSA
The Rat King in the ballet “The Nutcracker” wore a bejeweled crown. The rat Remy in Pixar’s animated movie Ratatouille wore a chef’s hat. And Magawa, a 5-year-old rat who works to detect land mines and explosives in Cambodia, now wears a tiny gold medal. This summer, the British charity People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals recognized Magawa’s bravery and heroism. Over the past four years, Magawa has discovered more than 30 land mines and helped clear more than 1 million square feet (90,000 square meters) of land. In doing so, he has saved countless men, women, and children—and probably some fellow rodent friends!
Magawa is part of a program called “Hero Rat.” Sponsored by the Belgian organization APOPO, “Hero Rat” uses rats in Southeast Asia and Africa to detect land mines. (APOPO is an abbreviation for Dutch words meaning antipersonnel land mine removal product development.) Land mines are planted in the ground. They may be laid out in planned patterns called minefields. Mines may be planted by soldiers or fired into an area by artillery. They also may be dropped by helicopters. Mines are often set to be triggered by the weight of people walking or driving over them. Even after an armed conflict ends, huge fields of active mines may be left behind or even forgotten.
Every year, thousands of people are killed or injured by antipersonnel land mines. The vast majority are civilians who come into contact with mines planted years ago and left behind long after the fighting stopped. Rats are not the only animals that can detect land mines. Dogs are also excellent mine detectors.
Magawa was trained specifically to detect TNT, a powerful explosive. His strong sniff enables him to find TNT faster than humans. When he finds a mine, Magawa scratches the earth above the explosive. It is not just Magawa’s amazing nose that makes him an excellent mine hunter. As a rat, Magawa is light enough not to trigger mines as he walks over them.
Magawa is an African giant pouched rat. This species is known for its intelligence and strong sense of smell. In addition to land mines, the rats can be trained to detect tuberculosis, an infectious disease that affects the lungs.
Magawa’s work with “Hero Rat” will soon come to an end—the rats usually work either four or five years. In retirement, Magawa will continue to test his sense of smell while searching for his favorite foods: peanuts and bananas.
