An African giant pouched rat named Ronin has broken a world record by detecting more than 100 landmines in Cambodia, Belgian charity Apopo announced on Friday.
The heroic rodent has been named Apopo's most successful Mine Detection Rat after uncovering 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance since 2021.
Ronin has been officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records for his life-saving work in the heavily mined Southeast Asian nation.
The record-breaking rat has been deployed in Cambodia's Preah Vihear province since August 2021.
The heroic rodent (not pictured) has been named Apopo's most successful Mine Detection Rat
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Ronin has surpassed the previous record held by fellow African giant pouched rat Magawa, who detected 71 landmines and 38 pieces of unexploded ordnance over five years.
At just five years old, Ronin may have two more years of detection work ahead, according to Apopo.
The avocado-loving rat measures 68cm in length and weighs 1,175 grams.
He has been described as "hardworking, but friendly and relaxed" in personality.
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Apopo, a Tanzania-based non-profit, currently has 104 rodent recruits which it calls HeroRATS.
These specially trained rats can detect the chemical compound TNT within explosives whilst ignoring scrap metal.
The rats can search an area the size of a tennis court in just 30 minutes, compared to up to four days for a human deminer with a metal detector.
Cambodia remains one of the world's most heavily landmined countries, with more than 1,000 square kilometres of contaminated land.
Landmines are still horribly dangerous for the people of cambodia
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The country has over 40,000 amputees who have lost limbs to explosives.
The Guinness Book of World Records said that Ronin's "crucial work" is making a real difference to people who have had to live with the "fear that one misstep while going about their day-to-day lives could be their last".
Since Apopo began its work 25 years ago, the organisation has cleared 169,713 landmines and other explosives worldwide.
More than 52,000 of these have been in Cambodia alone.
The charity also works in other countries affected by war, including Ukraine, South Sudan and Azerbaijan.
