'They don't bite': Cambodia deploys new batch of Gambian rats to sniff out landmines

The southeast Asian state of Cambodia has deployed its next generation of rat recruits to sniff out landmines and other unexploded ordnance (OXO). Amidst an effort to bolster demining operations, the Cambodian administration imported 25 African giant pouch rats from Tanzania and trained them to sniff out explosives. African or Gambian pouch rats have not only been used to detect land mines before but also for diseases like Tuberculosis. While Gambian rats have poor eyesight but are blessed with an exceptional sense of smell. 

Scarred by decades of civil war, Cambodia is one of the world's most heavily land mined countries, with more than 1,000 sq km of land still contaminated. These rats, which are reportedly easy to handle as they do not bite, could help the military’s demining process and help reduce the number of explosive accidents in the country. According to official records, Cambodia has the highest number of amputees in the world, a number pushed up by landmine explosions.

Cambodia deploys new batch of rat recruits 

The new batch of African pouch rats replaces the previous batch which served for five years. Amongst the retired batch is a rat named Magawa that has cleared more than 141,000 square meters (1.5 million square feet) of land that is equivalent to some 20 soccer fields. He sniffed out 71 land mines and 38 items of unexploded ordnance, according to  APOPO. In 2020, he won a British charity’s top civilian award for animal bravery-- an honour so far exclusively reserved for dogs.

In September last year,  PDSA revealed that Magawa became the first rat to have a bravery award for discovering 39 mines over 141 metres of land over four years. Magawa won PSDA's Gold Medal for his life-saving work. The award is equivalent to George Cross and Victoria Cross gallantry medals. The rat was trained to sniff landmines by APOPO. Interestingly, according to APOPO, Magawa is the first rat to receive a PDSA Medal in 77 years of their charity history. 

Image: AP