The rat "Magawa" died after saving the lives of many people
The award-winning African rat "Magawa" has died after saving many lives for years by smelling landmines, the association responsible for it announced Tuesday.
The rat, originally from Tanzania, helped clear mines from 225 thousand square meters, the equivalent of 42 football fields, during a five-year career.
But the Great Rat was retired last June, after he helped uncover more than 100 landmines and unexploded ordnance.
The Belgian NGO Abobo said Magawa died peacefully over the weekend at the age of eight.
"We all feel the loss of Magawa and are grateful for the incredible work he has done," the organization added.
Abobo noted that the rat was in good health and spent most of the past weekend playing with its usual activity, but it began to show signs of fatigue at the end of the weekend with longer rest periods and a decline in appetite.
The Belgian NGO, active in Asia and Africa, trained Magawa rat in his native Tanzania to detect the chemical compound inside explosives by giving him tasty treats including bananas and peanuts.
He alerted deminers to the presence of TNT by scribbling on the soil.
Magawa was able to scan an area the size of a tennis court in just 30 minutes, which could take up to four days if a conventional metal detector was used.
In September 2020, Magawa won the British Animal Protection Gold Medal, which annually rewards an animal for its heroic deeds, becoming the first rat to receive this BDES Medal in 77 years of awards.
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