Ronin... The Super Rat 🐀Breaks Records in Mine Detection!

A large rat named "Ronin" has set a record for detecting mines and saving lives in Cambodia, earning it the nickname "Super Rat."

According to CNN, Ronin and his colleagues from the Mine Detecting Rats Squad have become famous for rescuing innocent civilians from hidden explosives.

The Guinness Book of World Records revealed that the giant African rat (Ronin) has set a new world record for the largest number of mines detected by a rat. Between August 2021 and February 2025, Ronin detected 109 landmines and 15 pieces of unexploded ordnance. In an area near Siem Reap, Cambodia.

His lead trainer, "Fanny," told Guinness magazine, "Ronin's achievements are a testament to the amazing capabilities of rats."

According to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor report, landmines and explosive weapons hidden underground have caused more than 65,000 deaths and injuries since the fall of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.

Landmines are difficult and dangerous to detect, and this is where rats come in. They are intelligent, fast, and have a keen sense of smell. They are also so lightweight that they don't trigger the mines when they walk over them.

According to APOPO, a non-profit organization that specializes in mine detection and uses rat training techniques, there are an estimated 110 million landmines buried in more than 60 countries around the world.

In 2023 alone, mines caused 5,757 casualties worldwide, 37 percent of which were children, according to the Landmine Monitor 2024 report.

Ronin is a rat born in Tanzania and deployed to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, one of the most heavily mined areas in the world.

Ronin's Training

Ronin is one of more than 100 rats trained by APOPO to smell explosive chemicals and locate mines for their handlers.

These rats are also resilient; they have also been trained to detect tuberculosis in medical settings, helping to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

APOPO's team of mine-detecting rats can scan an area the size of a tennis court in 30 minutes, a task that would take four days if performed with a metal detector.

Ronin, who is 5 years old, is much larger than the average house rat, standing over two feet (about 60 cm) tall—about the length of a cat—and weighing 2.6 pounds (about 1.2 kg), according to APOPO.

It was deployed in one of the most heavily mined areas in the world, resulting from decades of conflict, including intense US bombing during the Vietnam War. The US dropped 2.7 million tons of munitions, including cluster bombs, on Cambodia during a four-year bombing campaign. An estimated one-quarter of the cluster bombs failed to explode, making them active and dangerous but invisible.

According to APOPO, despite years of demining efforts, there are still between 4 and 6 million unexploded mines in Cambodia.

Source News: CNN = https://bintjbeil.org/post/75230/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A3%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%82-%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%B7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9