A landmine-clearing rat pouched from Tanzania has set a new world record for most mines detected by a rat, the Guinness World Records (GWR) said. 

Ronin, a giant African rat, uncovered 109 landmines and other potentially deadly war remnants since his deployment to northern Cambodia in Preah Vihear province. 

The rat is part of 104 active rodent recruits trained by the Belgian charity Apopo to sniff out abandoned mines and other weapons that get left behind after war. 

The previous record was held by another of Apopo's rats - by the name of Magawa - who retired May 2021 with a tally of 71 mines discovered over nearly five years. He died of old age in January 2022.

‘Hardworking and friendly’

Ronin, who is currently five years old, is described as being “hardworking but also friendly and relaxed”. 

“Ronin’s work is far from finished. At just five years old, he may have two years or more of detection work ahead of him, continuing to build on his already record-breaking total,” Apopo said in a statement on Friday. 

Born and bred in Morogoro, Tanzania, he underwent meticulous training at APOPO’s Training Center located at Sokoine University of Agriculture. 

From a young age, the rats are introduced to clicker training, associating the sound with rewards such as bananas or peanuts. Their training involves systematically searching within a defined grid, scratching at the ground to indicate the location of land mines.

Perfectly suited

The rats’ small bodies makes them perfectly suited for the job as they are too light to trigger buried explosives.

 Ronin and his fellow rats are deployed to various regions around the world, where – assisted by specialist handlers – they uncover devices that can be fatal or cause life-changing injuries if stepped on by a passer-by.

 The African giant rats typically live for eight years or more, and when they start showing signs of slowing down or less interest in their tasks, they are retired.

 Adam Millward, managing editor of Guinness World Records, also hailed the critical impact of the work being done by mine detection rats.

 “Guinness World Records feats are not always just about smashing milestones,” he was quoted as saying in Friday’s statement.

 “Sometimes they can be about smashing preconceptions too. The life-changing results of APOPO’s HeroRATs, their handlers, and all the people involved with training and caring for these incredible animals is a revelatory example of the good that can be achieved when humans and animals work together.”