There are certain things I don’t imagine writing about when I sit down at the computer to cover the news. After all, we’ve got Swalwell, we’ve got Hormuz, we’ve got Iran, we’ve got all sorts of things going on.
But when I read about a hero rat, I just have to know more.
Rats aren’t usually heroes in most stories (or in real-life). I once wrote about the massive rodents plaguing New York City, but the critters are not a topic I’ve spent a lot of virtual ink on.
Magawa, an African giant pouched rat from Cambodia, however, was indeed a hero and saved an unknown number of lives as he helped clear landmines left after decades of warfare. Now, following his retirement and passing, has been honored with a 7-foot-tall statue of his likeness.
Be forewarned, this is a big boy:
Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, sniffed out more than 100 land mines during his five-year career, saving countless lives.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 8, 2026
To honor his bravery, a seven-foot statue of Magawa was unveiled on April 3 in Cambodia. pic.twitter.com/6Wc02pG5em
Although he is no longer with us, Magawa’s record-setting efforts unearthed over a hundred mines that could have blown up hapless innocents if they had happened to be so unfortunate as to step on one:
Magawa, a rat who gained fame in the country for sniffing out more than 100 mines (more than 1.5 million square feet) in his five-year career — more than any other rat in the country — retired in 2021 and died at age 8 in 2022.
The African giant pouched rat was trained by the Belgian charity APOPO to use his keen sense of smell to sniff out landmines and other explosives.
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The Cambodian land mine issue is no joke: millions of them were laid by different armies in three decades of endless war, and soldiers rarely had time to map their locations.
Dozens of citizens are still killed every year, and there are an estimated over 40,000 amputees, one of the highest rates in the world.
Various government and humanitarian organizations have gone to great lengths to clear the mines, and one of their more ingenious efforts is the use of rats like Magawa. He could smell the mines, but even though he’s big for a rat (wouldn’t want to see that in my basement), he was just light enough that he could walk over them without setting them off.
The number of mines and the areas they cover, though are hard to wrap your head around:
Cambodia still has a vast expanse of landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contaminated areas throughout the country, covering an area of approximately 1,856 km2. This contamination includes 652 km2 of minefields, 1,204 km2 of UXO and cluster submunitions fields (as of Jan. 2024).
Cambodia’s modern history is extremely complex, but the vicious Khmer Rouge regime led by the murderous Pol Pot in the late '70s is responsible for many of the buried munitions, and numerous Cambodian factions took up the practice too during civil wars and fighting. Thai forces and Vietnamese armies were also not above laying some mines.
It’s a tough problem to solve, but giant rats like Magawa are doing their part. After all, heroes come in all sizes.
A massive 7-foot stone statue was unveiled in Cambodia to honor a very small, unlikely hero: a rat named Magawa.
— Restoring Your Faith in Humanity (@HumanityChad) April 11, 2026
Magawa wasn't just any pet; he was a "HeroRAT" trained by the non-profit APOPO. During his five-year career, he used his incredible sense of smell to sniff out over… pic.twitter.com/KexxnfwVvQ
During his five-year career, he used his incredible sense of smell to sniff out over 100 landmines and unexploded explosives.
Because he was so light, he could walk across minefields without ever setting them off- doing in 20 minutes what would take a human with a metal detector four days.
Magawa passed away peacefully a few years ago, but the statue unveiled this April serves as a permanent thank-you from a nation.
He saved thousands of lives and allowed farmers to return to their fields and children to play safely.
Rest easy, little hero. The fields are safe because of you. 🕊️❤️
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