Meet Magawa, a very special rat trained to sniff out explosives. Over the years, he has detected dozens of landmines in Cambodia and is believed to have saved lives. On Friday, he was honored with a gold medal — perfectly rat-sized to fit on his harness.
Magawa, a rat that has been trained to detect explosives, was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal on Friday for bravery in searching out unexploded land mines in Cambodia.Magawa, a rat that has been trained to detect explosives, was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal on Friday for bravery in searching out unexploded land mines in Cambodia.For the first time, one of Britain's highest animal honors has been awarded to a rat.
Even among his skilled cohorts working in Cambodia, Magawa is a standout sniffer: In four years he has helped to clear "This is the very first time in our 77-year history of honoring animals that we will have presented a medal to a rat," PDSA Chair John Smith said during the proceedings.during World War II to recognize animals for gallantry in the face of conflict. Previous honorees have included dogs, pigeons, horses and a cat.
Though they have terrible eyesight, the rats are ideal for such work, with their extraordinary sense of smell and their light weight – they are too light to trigger the mines. When they detect a mine, they lightly scratch atop it, signaling to their handler what they've found.Cox said the rats hone their skills in a training field and are only cleared to begin work once they have perfect accuracy over an 8,600-square-foot area with various stages of complexity.
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