Overview

• Ronin, a five-year-old African giant pouched rat trained by the nonprofit APOPO, has been recognized by Guinness World Records for detecting 109 landmines and 15 unexploded ordnance items in Cambodia since 2021.
• Cambodia remains one of the most heavily landmined countries globally, with over 1,000 square kilometers of land still contaminated due to decades of conflict, including the Khmer Rouge regime and U.S. bombing campaigns during the Vietnam War.
• APOPO's HeroRats, including Ronin, are trained to detect landmines using their keen sense of smell, intelligence, and lightweight bodies, which prevent them from triggering explosives.
• Ronin surpassed the previous record held by Magawa, another APOPO-trained rat, who identified 71 landmines and 38 unexploded ordnance items during his career before retiring in 2021.
• Ronin's achievements highlight the critical need for scalable and cost-effective demining solutions, as millions of landmines remain buried worldwide, causing thousands of casualties annually.