HeroRAT Ronin, an African giant pouched rat, has earned a Guinness World Records title as the most successful mine-detection rat.

Guinness World Records Managing Editor, Adam Millward, praised the “life-changing results” of APOPO’s HeroRATs, their handlers, and everyone involved in training and caring for the animals.

Millward noted that Ronin’s achievement “is a revelatory example of the good that can be achieved when humans and animals work together.”

The announcement coincides with the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action and World Rat Day, both marked annually on April 4.

Since Ronin’s deployment to Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia, in August 2021, he has detected 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance, UXO.

This surpassed the previous record held by the HeroRAT Magawa, who discovered 71 landmines and 38 UXOs during his five-year service.

Phanny, Ronin’s handler, said his achievements are “a testament to the incredible potential of positive reinforcement training,” calling him “an asset, a valued partner, and colleague.”

Five-year-old Ronin is now the most outstanding Mine Detection Rat, MDR, in the history of APOPO, a non-profit organisation with operational headquarters in Morogoro, Tanzania.

For over 25 years, the organisation has been training pouched rats (also known as HeroRATs) to detect landmines and tuberculosis, helping to clear millions of square metres of land worldwide.

African pouched rat wins Guinness World Records for mine detection