He could search an area as large as a 20-minute tennis court, something that could take a human deminer up to four days.
During his five-year career, the Gambian giant Magawa sniffed over 100 landmines in Cambodia.
Every year, people in Cambodia die and are injured by explosives left over from the 1970 civil war, it is estimated that there are up to six million landmines left.
Magawa was the most successful rat trained by the Belgian charity Apopo.
The rats are trained to detect a chemical compound found in the explosives.
Awarded a gold medal
141,000 square meters of land - equivalent to 20 football fields, Magawa cleared during his lifetime.
In 2020, he was awarded a medal of merit in gold from the organization PDSA for his life-saving efforts.
Magawa turned eight years old.
The charity Apopo writes in a statement that it is "grateful for the incredible work he has done" and that "his fantastic sense of smell made it possible for communities in Cambodia to live, work and play without fear".