Cambodia's landmine-sniffing 'hero' rat Magawa dies in retirement

[Coventina]

PHNOM PENH, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Cambodia's landmine-sniffing rat Magawa, who found more than 100 landmines and explosives during a five-year career, has died at the age of 8, leaving a lasting legacy of saved lives in the Southeast Asian nation.

Magawa, who died over the weekend, was the most successful "HeroRAT" deployed by international charity APOPO, which uses African giant pouched rats to detect landmines and tuberculosis.

"Magawa was in good health and spent most of last week playing with his usual enthusiasm, but towards the weekend he started to slow down, napping more and showing less interest in food in his last days," the non-profit organisation said in a statement.

Scarred by decades of civil war, Cambodia is one of the world's most heavily landmined countries, with more than 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of land still contaminated.

[Kid Berwyn]

1. Hero Rat found 71 land mines.

Probably saved many human lives.

[brooklynite]

2. "land mines and tuberculosis"

Science is weird.

[hlthe2b]

3. To a much appreciated little animal. How many lives saved.

[Coventina]

4. kicking for the afternoon crowd

[MoonRiver]

5. I was heartbroken to learn hero rat Magawa has passed. R.I.P. brave one.

[IzzaNuDay]

6. RIP Magawa

A distinguished life in a rodent. His work was valuable — too dangerous for humans to accomplish safely.