Meet Ronin, The Brave Rat Who Sniffed Out 109 Landmines And Made History

A five-year-old giant African pouched rat has set a world record after detecting 109 landmines during his deployment since 2021 in Cambodia, AFP reported. 

Ronin was deployed in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province in August 2021 to detect landmines and war remnants through sniffing.  

He became the most successful mine-detecting rat, identifying 109 landmines and 15 other deadly war remnants.  

The Belgian charity APOPO, which trains rats for mine detection, stated, "His exceptional accomplishments have earned him the Guinness World Records title for most landmines detected by a rat, highlighting the critical role of HeroRats in humanitarian demining."

Ronin beat the previous record, held by hero rodent Magawa who found 71 landmines and 38 UXOs during his five-year service before retirement in 2021.

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Magawa, who was awarded a gold medal for heroism for clearing mines from about 225,000 square metres of land the equivalent of 42 football pitches died in 2022.

Ronin may have two years or more of detection work ahead of him, APOPO said as per AFP.

Cambodia remains littered with mines, discarded ammunition and other arms from decades of war starting in the 1960s.

After more than 30 years of civil war ended in 1998, Cambodia was left as one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.

Deaths from mines and unexploded ordnance are still common, with around 20,000 fatalities since 1979, and twice that number wounded.

Two Cambodian toddlers were killed in February when a rocket-propelled grenade believed buried since the country's civil war blew up near their homes in northwestern Siem Reap province.

Cambodia had aimed to be mine-free by 2025, but the government pushed the deadline back by five years because of funding challenges and new landmine fields found along the Thai border.

(With Inputs from AFP)