The Belgium-based humanitarian organization APOPO, which specializes in clearing bombs, has announced that the rat, named Ronin, originates from Africa and has been working in Preah Vihear province in northern Cambodia for over three years.During this time, he has discovered 109 landmines and 15 other hazardous devices.
APOPO stated in its report that Ronin, who is five years old, may continue detecting bombs for another two years.
"His exceptional achievements have earned him the Guinness World Record title for being the rat that has discovered the most bombs," APOPO said.
Ronin,born on August 13, 2019, in Morogoro, Tanzania, has surpassed the previous record held by another rat, Magawa, who also came from Tanzania. Magawa detected 71 bombs during his five-year service before retiring in 2021.
Magawa was awarded a gold medal for bravery after detecting bombs in approximately 225,000 square meters of land,equivalent to 42 football fields. He passed away in 2022.
Cambodia remains heavily contaminated with thousands of bombs following three decades of civil war, which ended in the late 1990s.
In Tanzania, the APOPO organization also trains rats to detect tuberculosis in humans.
Fatalities caused by bombs and other unexploded ordnance occur frequently in Cambodia. Since 1979, nearly 20,000 people have lost their lives, while twice that number have been injured.
In February, two Cambodian children were killed when a grenade from the country's civil war exploded near their home in the northwestern province of Siem Reap.
Source:BBC
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