39 landmines detected, 28 unexploded ordnance discovered: for this life-saving work in Cambodia, a rat specially trained to search for landmines has become the first ever to receive Britain’s highest animal decoration. In photos Friday, the African marsupial rat named “Magawa” was seen wearing a small gold medal on a blue ribbon around its neck.
The award comes from the U.K.’s leading animal charity, PDSA. The Order of the Beast is similar to the George Cross, the highest civilian award for bravery in the United Kingdom.
Worldwide attention to “problem of landmines”
The use of “Magawa” and other trained rats has reportedly changed the lives of many Cambodian residents. The country in southeast Asia is still struggling with the aftermath of decades of internal conflict. “Magawa” helped clear land of more than 141,000 square meters – about 20 soccer fields – of mines and make it safe to live and work again, the British news agency PA wrote. It is the most successful of the rats that the nonprofit Apopo trains to search for land mines, it said.
The rat originated in Tanzania and was then trained in Cambodia, executive director Christophe Cox said in a video. “It’s really a great honor to get this medal,” he said, according to PA. “But it’s also great for the people in Cambodia and all over the world who are suffering from landmines. With the gold medal, the problem of landmines is getting worldwide attention.”
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