Trained rat Ronin, working in Cambodia, set a world record by detecting 109 landmines and 15 unexploded ordnances. Specially trained in scent detection, rats like Ronin play a vital role in clearing war remnants. While rats are often viewed negatively, Tanzanian-born Ronin is changing that image by saving lives with his extraordinary sense of smell.
Ronin, a giant African pouched rat, operated in Cambodia's Siem Reap region from August 2021 to February 2025, setting the record for the most explosives detected. The achievement was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the highest number of finds in this field.
Landmines continue to kill and injure thousands in former war zones. Since 1979, over 65,000 people in Cambodia have been killed or injured due to landmines.
Detecting mines is dangerous and time-consuming. However, rats offer a significant advantage—they're too light to trigger mines and can locate explosives quickly using their keen sense of smell and intelligence.
Ronin was trained by APOPO, a Belgium-based NGO. The organization has trained over 100 rats for mine detection and disease diagnosis, such as tuberculosis.
Ronin's team can scan an area the size of a tennis court in just 30 minutes—a task that would take a human expert with a metal detector up to four days.
Ronin was deployed in Preah Vihear, one of the most mine-contaminated areas, heavily affected by 20th-century conflicts and U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War.
An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines still lie buried in Cambodia alone.
Ronin took the record from Magawa, another APOPO-trained rat who passed away in 2022. Magawa had detected 71 mines and 38 unexploded ordnances over five years.
