rat

A new legend is born! Meet the hero from Cambodia who's got the whole world buzzing -- Magawa! And Magawa just so happens to be a giant African pouched rat. Magawa isn't just any rat, he was trained to sniff out landmines and has now been awarded British charity's top civilian award for animal bravery!

In the past seven years, Magawa has discovered a total of 39 landmines and 28 items of unexploded ordnance. People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) start began as a free vet clinic in 1917 and has been honoring heroic animals 1943. Magawa was awarded the PDSA's gold medal for his "lifesaving bravery and devotion," according to the charity.

Having cleared over 141,000 square meters of land (imagine 20 soccer fields), it is without a doubt that Magawa is worthy of this award! 

APOPO Chief Executive Christophe Cox had this to say about the heroic act, "it is big for the people in Cambodia, and all the people around the world who are suffering from landmines. The PDSA Gold Medal award brings the problem of landmines to global attention."

But why use rats to sniff out landmines? Turns out, rats are perfect for such a task! Their small size (and weight) allows them to walk across minefields without triggering any explosives. Before Magawa, this was a canine job. 

PDSA also happens to have a Dickin Medal for military service and the medal has since been awarded to 34 dogs, 32 pigeons, 4 horses, and one cat. However, Magawa is their rat to ever receive a PDSA award! 

Congratulations Magawa, thank you for your bravery and helping make this world a safer place for us all. 

Story via The Guardian

Amalie Markota Andersen has taught her pet rat, Darius, to do something quite extraordinary -- paint! Anderson herself is an animation and digital arts student and told The Insider that it only took Darius roughly 10 minutes to complete a masterpiece.

Darius used his feet to create his work and his painting have gone viral multiple times on Twitter and Tumblr. He's sold about 3 or 4 pieces. 

Unfortunately, the talented Darius passed away earlier in 2019. Anderson says her and Darius had a special bond and we're 100% sure of that.

Darius and his paintings have been going viral on the internet since this past Saturday, when pictures of him and his work were shared by a now-private account. 

Story via The Insider

While it may be harder for some people to relate to rats like they do to cats and dogs, we're here to remind you, especially on world rat day,  that they're just about the cutest animals ever!  

This chunky rodent had a bit of a situation...A team of firefighters had to be called in the German town of Bensheim when a rat was unable to get out of a sewer manhole due to his girth.

If your morning is starting a bit slow, perhaps you need a role model. Someone with a can-do spirit and the courage to dream big. What you need is this rat from Washington DC, who caused a stir in a condo building after it set off a fire alarm. Residents had to be evacuated, but there was no one harmed.