Ronin, a five-year-old African giant pouched rat, has set a new Guinness World Record by detecting 109 landmines and 15 unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province since August 2021. Trained by the Belgian non-profit organization APOPO, Ronin’s exceptional olfactory abilities have been instrumental in humanitarian demining efforts.
APOPO has been training these “HeroRATs” for over 25 years, employing clicker training techniques where the rats associate specific sounds with rewards, motivating them to detect explosives systematically. Handlers guide the rats through grid patterns, and upon detecting a landmine, the rats signal by scratching the ground. Their light weight allows them to safely navigate minefields without triggering explosives.
Ronin’s achievement surpasses the previous record held by Magawa, another HeroRAT who detected 71 landmines and 38 UXOs over five years before retiring in 2021 and passing away in 2022.
Cambodia remains heavily affected by landmines due to decades of conflict, with up to six million unexploded munitions contaminating the land. Since 1979, these hidden dangers have caused approximately 20,000 deaths and 45,000 injuries. The work of Ronin and his fellow HeroRATs plays a crucial role in making the land safer for communities, highlighting the innovative approaches being employed to address this ongoing threat.
