Land mines remain a danger always present on the battlefields. It is for the two soldiers in an active conflict and civilians once the war ended. Millions of anti-personnel terrestrial mines are buried worldwide, and while groups have been working to remove them safely, in recent years, they have turned to a new tool to help: rats. And a Rat based in Cambodia has now detected more terrestrial mines than any other rat in history.
Meet Ronin. Ronin detected 109 terrestrial mines and 15 elements of unploded ammunition since 2021. It was according to Apopo, the charitable organization that formed the African giant pocket rat, and the Guinness Record book, which said Ronin the new record holder. He is currently working in the province of Preah Vihear in Cambodia, one of the most exploited countries in the world.
The Guinness Book of World Records announced the realization of Ronin on April 4, which happens to be both International Day for Awareness and Assistance in Action of Mines and World Rat Day – Yes, that’s one thing. Ronin, who works with a field manager, set the work record between August 2021-February 2025. He is one of the dozens of specially trained rodents active in the location of land mines for demining efforts.
This work, the Guinness Book of World Records said in a statement: “Make a tangible difference for people who have been raging for decades by the fear that a false step while going in their daily life could be their last.”
Rats such as Ronin are trained to sniff chemicals in explosives. Their hard work also allows them to cover the distances at a faster pace than a human with a metal detector, according to the researchers. This smell also means that they focus on chemical compounds and are not potentially induced by random metal bits. They are also trained on a grid system, and when they are on the ground, their small size allows them to find and go to land mines without triggering them. Ronin and other rats only work 30 minutes a day.
Cambodia remains one of the most exploited places in the world, with estimates of 4 to 6 million terrestrial mines still buried on earth from conflicts in the country between the 1960s and 1990s. Despite years of effort and millions of people already deactivated and removed, they remain a danger of persistence, causing injuries and death.
Ronin’s record includes 38 more mines than the previous record holder Magawa. During a five -year career, Magawa detected 71 terrestrial mines and 38 other unploded ammunition in Cambodia. In 2020, he received a gold medal from a veterinary charitable organization for his efforts. Magawa died in 2022 in eight -year -old age.
Despite several years of international diplomacy aimed at stopping the spread of terrestrial mines, such as the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, and by eliminating them, mines still detach dozens of countries. Many of them do not know active conflicts, but people are still in danger of mines.
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