海角大神

We鈥檙e going to step off the beaten news trail for a moment to talk about rats. We humans don鈥檛 tend to have much use for them. They fall somewhere between cockroaches and snakes on the 鈥渃reepy鈥� scale.听

That鈥檚 what makes Magawa notable.

We鈥檝e mentioned this little African pouched rat recently in this space, when he won a . But we thought you鈥檇 appreciate hearing more of his story. Since the inception of that award 18 years ago, all the recipients have been dogs. Until now.

What did our whisker-nosed rodent do? For the past seven years, he鈥檚 been quietly saving human lives by sniffing out unexploded land mines in Cambodia. He was trained by a Belgian group that鈥檚 been mopping up after wars in Africa and Southeast Asia for the past 20 years.听

Rats can do the job more efficiently than humans or dogs, and they鈥檙e safer because they can lightly dance over a minefield without setting off the explosives. Unexploded land mines and bombs are a problem in 59 countries. Nearly听by mines in 2018, the latest available tally.听

When Susie, a friend of mine with pet rats, heard about Magawa鈥檚 award, she wasn鈥檛 surprised. 鈥�. You can call them by name and they鈥檒l come. They鈥檙e very smart, affectionate, curious, loving, and loyal,鈥� she said. When Susie yells 鈥淏edtime!鈥� her critters scamper up her pants to be put in their cages.听

Susie鈥檚 perception of rats shifted years ago. Maybe the courage award for Magawa will change how a few more humans view these oft-reviled, lifesaving rodents.

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