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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Magawa the landmine detection rat given gold medal for bravery



    A landmine detection rat has been awarded a gold medal for his “lifesaving bravery and devotion to duty”.


    Magawa, a giant African pouched rat, has discovered 39 landmines and 28 items of unexploded ordnance in Cambodia since he was trained by charity APOPO. He is the charity’s most successful Hero Rat, having cleared more than 141,000 square metres of land – the equivalent of 20 football pitches.


    Magawa has been formally recognised for his work and been presented with a miniature PDSA Gold Medal, the animal equivalent of the George Cross. He is the first rat in the charity’s 77-year history to receive such an award.

    Christophe Cox, chief executive of APOPO, said: “To receive this medal is really an honour for us. I have been working with APOPO for over 20 years.


    “Especially for our animal trainers who are waking up every day, very early, to train those animals in the morning.


    “But also it is big for the people in Cambodia, and all the people around the world who are suffering from landmines. The PDSA Gold Medal award brings the problem of landmines to global attention.”


    He said rats are intelligent and will work at repetitive tasks for food rewards better than other animals.


    Their size means they are in less danger when they walk through landmine fields.


    The rats are trained to detect a chemical compound within explosives and require a year of training before they are certified. They work for around half an hour a day, in the early morning. Once they detect a landmine, they scratch the top, which alerts their human handlers.


    Magawa, who is now nearing retirement age, can search the area of a tennis court in 30 minutes, something that would take a human with a metal detector up to four days.


    PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin said: “The work of Magawa and APOPO is truly unique and outstanding.


    “Cambodia estimates that between 4m and 6m landmines were laid in the country between 1975 and 1998, which have sadly caused over 64,000 casualties.


    “Magawa’s work directly saves and changes the lives of men, women and children who are impacted by these landmines. Every discovery he makes reduces the risk of injury or death for local people.”


    Cambodia has the highest number of mine amputees per capita in the world – more than 40,000 people.


    A virtual presentation for Magawa will take place on Friday.

    Magawa the landmine detection rat given gold medal for bravery | Animals | The Guardian



    HeroRAT Magawa is awarded the PDSA Gold Medal - YouTube
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Magawa the landmine detection rat given gold medal for bravery-e27e119b-1527-4ce5-aad4-5c1482e9a904-jpeg  

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Fun facts:


    • In the US these are called an invasive species and were blamed for a 2003 outbreak of Monkeypox, so they're banned.



    • In Africa they are considered a food source, so the Cambos would happily munch them, and they're big so lots of meat.



    • They eat their own poo.

  3. #3
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    Hero rat in Cambodia is awarded medal

    Meet Magawa, a rat that hunts for explosives in Cambodia and is officially a hero.
    'HeroRAT' is actually Magawa's job title and it's a pretty accurate description - his work is dangerous and involves searching for, and finding landmines.
    Now Magawa's amazing efforts are being recognised for improving the lives of people living in the country and it's that life-saving bravery that means he is now being given a special medal in recognition.
    Magawa's handler, Malen, met him on the day he arrived in Cambodia. She says she always knew he was a special rat:
    "He's smart, quick and never misses a trick. He has saved the lives of many people. I hope that one day we can clear all the landmines in Cambodia."
    "We've been working together for more than four years now, and I'm so proud of him. He's very special to me," she said.






    Cambodia has seen decades of fighting, leaving the ground littered with hidden explosives; there are thought to be six million landmines in the country.
    Magawa's job is to find them before they hurt anyone.
    When searching for dangerous objects, Magawa knows to ignore scrap metal and is extremely quick at finding mines. He can search an area the size of a tennis court in half an hour - something that would take a human with a metal detector up to four days!
    PDSA/APOPO







    Magawa is an African giant pouched rat, he was born in Tanzania and is 7 years old. He weighs about as much as a bag of sugar and head to tail is 70cm (28in) long. While that is bigger than many other rat species, Magawa is still small enough and light enough that he does not trigger mines if he walks over them.
    Once he finds the explosives he scratches on top of them to alert his humans.
    Although there are other HeroRats, Magawa is one of the best! He has found 67 explosives so far, clearing land that's the size of 20 football pitches. It means people can now live and work on that land, safely and free of worry.
    It's all that hard work that means this hero rat is now following in the footsteps, sorry, pawsteps of several other animals, receiving the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals Gold Medal - the animal version of the highest military honour for bravery in the face of danger.
    Dogs, cats, horses and pigeons have all been given the award, but Magawa is the first rat to ever receive the medal since the charity began honouring animals 77 years ago.
    PDSA/PA
    Magawa has won a gold medal for detecting mines in Cambodia








    PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin says:
    "Magawa's work directly saves and changes the lives of men, women and children who are impacted by these landmines.
    "Every discovery he makes reduces the risk of injury or death for local people," she said.
    It's not all hard work though, Magawa likes to relax at the weekend with a nice slice of watermelon. He stays in shape by working out on his running wheel and enjoys taking the occasional nap.

    Hero rat gets medal for clearing landmines in Cambodia - CBBC Newsround

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat

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    what about the RAT that bought those bomb detectors,what did he get?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by headhunter View Post
    what about the RAT that bought those bomb detectors,what did he get?
    Where'd he get the cash for them?




    This was on the news here in NZ a few days ago - quite impressive once you get past the sensationalist click-bait

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    You can adopt one. I didn't know they use them to detect TB as well.

    https://www.apopo.org/en/adopt

    https://www.apopo.org/en/herorats/herorats-save-lives

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