Landmine detection rat awarded PDSA gold medal

[Eldorado]

A landmine detection rat has been awarded a gold medal for his “lifesaving bravery and devotion to duty”.

Magawa, a giant African pouched rat, has discovered 39 landmines and 28 items of unexploded ordnance since he was trained by charity APOPO.

He is the charity’s most successful Hero Rat, having cleared more than 141,000 square metres of land – the equivalent of 20 football pitches.

Magawa has been formally recognised for his work and been presented with a miniature PDSA Gold Medal, the animal equivalent of the George Cross.

Full story at ITV News UK: Link

[SHaYap]

Now let's send Magawa to Mars... 

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[+susieice]

Good job Magawa. He doesn't even look creepy.

[jethrofloyd]

It is safer for Magawa  to search and dig Tuber fungi instead.

[Still Waters]

Update:

Magawa the hero rat retires from job detecting landmines

Magawa the rat, who was awarded a gold medal for his heroism, is retiring from his job detecting landmines.

In a five-year career, the rodent sniffed out 71 landmines and dozens more unexploded items in Cambodia.

But his handler Malen says the seven-year-old African giant pouched rat is "slowing down" as he reaches old age, and she wants to "respect his needs".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-57345703

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

On 9/25/2020 at 8:13 PM, jethrofloyd said:

It is safer for Magawa  to search and dig Tuber fungi instead.

Actually, my students having just studied HeroRATS, land mine detection is entirely safe for rats. They’re too light to trigger the detonator on the mine.

[SHaYap]

What I am not understanding is why there isn't some sort of drone lidar ground scanning metal detector gizmo doing the job now... These rats been at it for well over a decade now 

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[Sir Wearer of Hats]

1 hour ago, third_eye said:

What I am not understanding is why there isn't some sort of drone lidar ground scanning metal detector gizmo doing the job now... These rats been at it for well over a decade now 

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It boils down to “who cares about land mines in those countries?”, so it falls down to individuals with cunning to find cheap solutions to huge problems.

[SHaYap]

22 minutes ago, Sir Wearer of Hats said:

It boils down to “who cares about land mines in those countries?”, so it falls down to individuals with cunning to find cheap solutions to huge problems.

That's one way of putting it, most of the time all I get is the "patents" holder runaround... Putting the equipment together is cheap, paying for the patents not so... 

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