Siem reap: Cambodia has unveiled the world's first monument dedicated to Magawa, the mine-detection rat, on International Day for Mine Awareness, which falls on April 4 every year. Magawa was an African giant rat native to Tanzania, trained by APOPO, a Belgian non-profit organization. Throughout his career, Magawa detected over 100 landmines and unexploded ordnance, helping to clear over 141,000 square meters of land. He also received the PDSA Gold Medal for his bravery as an animal before dying in 2022 at the age of 8, after retiring from service.

According to Thai News Agency, the monument, which was unveiled yesterday, is located in Siem Reap province. It was carved from local stone by Cambodian craftsmen and depicts Magawa wearing the medals of honor and the badges he wore while performing mine-scanning duties.

Cambodia remains one of the countries with the densest concentration of unexploded ordnance in the world, with millions of mines left over from decades of conflict. These continue to cause loss of life and property, and pose a significant obstacle to the country's economic development.