Phnom Penh: A mine-sniffing rat has achieved a Guinness World Records title for uncovering more than 100 landmines and items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Cambodia, charity APOPO announced in a news release on Friday.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Ronin, an African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys ansorgei), has been recognized as the most successful Mine Detection Rat (MDR) in the organization's history. His achievements have earned him the Guinness World Records title for most landmines detected by a rat, underscoring the critical role of HeroRATs in humanitarian demining.
Since his deployment to Preah Vihear province in northwest Cambodia in August 2021, Ronin has detected 109 landmines and 15 items of UXO, surpassing the previous record held by the legendary HeroRAT Magawa. Magawa had identified 71 landmines and 38 pieces of UXO during his five-year service and was awarded a gold medal for his mine-detection work in Cambodia before passing away at the age of eight in 2022.
The news release indicated that Ronin's work is far from complete. At just five years old, he may have two or more years of detection work ahead of him, continuing to increase his already record-breaking total.
Cambodia remains heavily impacted by landmines and UXO, with an estimated 4 million to 6 million landmines and other munitions left from three decades of war and internal conflicts that ended in 1998. An official report showed that from 1979 to 2024, landmine and UXO explosions have claimed 19,834 lives and injured 45,252 others. The Southeast Asian country is dedicated to eliminating all landmines and UXO by 2030.