Locating hidden landmines is an incredibly difficult and dangerous job. Luckily, we have the perfect creatures for this important task: rats. That’s right, rats are experts when it comes to finding these hidden weapons. At least they are when properly trained. There are a few reasons why: They’re smart, fast, have a keen sense of smell, and they’re too light to trigger landmines.
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Landmine detection nonprofit APOPO estimates that there are 110 million hidden landmines in over 60 countries. So, when one of these creatures recently beat the previous world record for most landmines detected by a rat, there was much cause for celebration. Catch a glimpse of this rat, named Ronin, in the video below.
@metrouk A rat in Cambodia has broken the Guiness World Record for most landmines found by a rat, with 109. Ronan smashed the previous record of Magawa (71), making him the most successful Mine Detection Rat in the history of rat training organisation APOPO. The five-year-old African giant pouched rat is expected to have two or more years left in his career, helping to eventually make Cambodia landmine-free. #rat #animalsoftiktok #cambodia #worldrecord #news #fyp ♬ original sound – Metro
Meet Ronin, the Clever Creature Who Beat the World Record for Most Landmines Detected by a Rat
“Ronin’s achievements are a testament to the incredible potential of rats,” his main handler, Phanny, says.
There are many ways that Ronin is not like your average rat. For one thing, he’s much larger. In fact, he is more than two feet long… that’s about the length of a cat! Still, Ronin’s size has made him perfect for discovering 109 landmines and 15 other pieces of unexploded ordnance. For comparison, the last record saw a rat uncover just 71. That said, every single one that is found is worth celebrating.
While there are millions of these hidden explosives all over the world, Cambodia has one of the highest landmine densities in the world. This is the case, in part, because of bombings conducted by the U.S. during the Vietnam War.
In Cambodia alone, these explosives have caused more than 65,000 deaths since 1979. In other words, Ronin and other rats like him truly are accomplishing lifesaving work.
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