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Veteran demining rat all set to retire to Siem Reap
Mon, 7 June 2021
MAGAWA – the first Cambodian mine-sniffing rat and a gold-medal winner in the UK – will now retire after five years in Cambodia.
Throughout the years, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) has been training 20 new rats to continue Magawa’s mission.
Magawa, now over seven years of age, was trained by a group of Belgian experts volunteering with APZO, an organisation based in Tanzania.
He was sent to Cambodia at the age of 9 months to continue training before eventually carrying out dangerous demining missions across the country.
Magawa has been called a hero for his role in clearing 71ha of mine-laden land and detecting thousands of unexploded ordnance (UXO) units in the country.
Award-winning rat Magawa retires after 5 years of mine-sniffing in Cambodia - World News sina.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sina.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In a five-year career, the rodent sniffed out 71 landmines and dozens more unexploded items in Cambodia.
But his handler Malen says the seven-year-old African giant pouched rat .