A nation mourns Magawa the landmine-hunting rat

An eight-year-old rat that was awarded a gold medal for heroism in clearing ordnance from the Cambodian countryside has died.

Magawa, a giant African pouched rat originally from Tanzania, had helped clear more than 100 explosives from 22 hectares.

The rodent, which retired from duty last year, had died “peacefully”, said the Belgian charity Apopo, which trained it.

“All of us at Apopo are feeling the loss of Magawa and we are grateful for the incredible work he’s done,” the group said.

Three Cambodian mine clearers were killed last week by landmines they were trying to remove. A man burning vegetation was killed by civil war-era ordnance in the same village on the same day.