Rats to the Rescue: The Unlikely Heroes Making Cambodia Safe

Key words: Contemporary, animal helpers, strong girls, occupations

Growing up in Cambodia, Malen knew that dangers from a long-ago war lay hidden underground. Buried explosives forced her and many others to live, farm, and play in fear. As she got older, Malen learned how to use a metal detector to find and safely dispose of these landmines.

Five thousand miles away, in Tanzania, Magawa was also learning how to find landmines. But he didn’t need a metal detector—he had his nose. Magawa was a rat, and his smelling superpower and light weight helped him safely sniff out dangerous explosives. After completing his training, Magawa joined Malen in Cambodia, and together they cleared more than a hundred landmines from fields all across the country.