Magawa, a Southern giant pouched rat, was trained not to chase cheese, but to save lives. Born in Tanzania in 2013, he became the most successful landmine-detecting rat in history, uncovering explosives in Cambodian soil for five years before retiring to a quiet life in 2021.
Magawa was born and trained at the APOPO headquarters at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro. In 2016, he was deployed to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Light enough not to trigger mines and trained to detect TNT, he could clear areas much faster than humans using metal detectors.
Between 2016 and 2021, Magawa searched over 22.5 hectares (56 acres) and discovered 71 landmines and 38 pieces of unexploded ordnance. For his unmatched contribution, he received the PDSA Gold Medal in 2020—the first rat ever to receive this honor.
Magawa retired in June 2021, spending his final months mentoring new recruits and enjoying bananas and peanuts. He died peacefully in January 2022, remembered as the most effective HeroRAT in APOPO’s operations.
