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With a gold medal around its neck: The giant hamster rat Magawa has been awarded for its life-saving work
Photo: Pdsa / Pdsa / PA Media / dpa
39 landmines tracked down, 28 unexploded explosive devices discovered: for this life-saving work in Cambodia, a rat specially trained for landmine hunting was the first to receive the highest British animal medal.
In photos you can see the giant hamster rat named Magawa with a small gold medal on a blue ribbon around its neck.
The award comes from the UK's leading non-profit animal organization, PDSA.
The animal order could be bestowed with the George Cross, the highest civilian honor for valor in the United Kingdom.
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Landmine detection rat Magawa at work in Cambodia
Photo: HANDOUT / AFP PHOTO / PDSA
The use of magawa and other trained rats reportedly changed the lives of many Cambodians.
The country in southeast Asia is still grappling with the aftermath of decades of internal conflict.
Magawa helped clear land of more than 141,000 square meters - about twenty soccer fields - from mines and make it safe to live and work again, wrote the British news agency PA.
She is the most successful rat that the non-profit organization Apopo has trained to search for land mines.
The rat comes from Tanzania and was then trained in Cambodia, reports managing director of the organization Christophe Cox in a video.
"Rats are fast and can search an area of 200 square meters in half an hour. With manual demining it would take four days," said Cox.
So far there has been no accident with a rat because it is too light to trigger a mine.
"It is really a great honor to receive this medal," said Cox according to PA.
"But it is also great for the people in Cambodia and around the world who suffer from landmines. With the gold medal, the problem of landmines is attracting worldwide attention".
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cop / dpa
