Cambodia on Friday (April 3) unveiled the world’s first statue dedicated to Magawa, a landmine-sniffing rat, as the country marked International Day for Mine Awareness.

Magawa, a southern giant pouched rat born in Tanzania and trained by Belgian non-profit organisation APOPO, detected more than 100 landmines and items of unexploded ordnance during his career, helping clear more than 141,000 square metres of land. He was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal for animal bravery and died in 2022, aged eight, following retirement.

Carved from local stone by Cambodian artisans, the statue in Siem Reap depicts Magawa wearing his medal and the harness he used during demining operations.

Cambodia remains one of the world’s most heavily landmine-contaminated countries, with millions of mines left from decades of conflict continuing to kill and injure people and limit economic development.

-Production: Chantha Lach/Reuters