Magawa the hero rat retires from job detecting landmines

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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”.

There are thought to be up to six million landmines in the South East Asian country.

Magawa was

This post was originally posted on BBC News. Read the rest of the story at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-57345703.

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