Rat breaks world record for sniffing out wartime landmines
An African giant pouched rat is being honored in the record books after detecting more than 100 landmines and other undetonated explosives in Cambodia, Belgian non-profit APOPO announced Friday.
The rat, named Ronin, was named APOPO's most successful Mine Detection Rat. He also was acknowledged by the Guinness World Records.
Since August 2021, Ronin has detected 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance, APOPO said. The record-smashing rodent is expected to do another two years or more of detection work, the non-profit said.
"Ronin's achievements are a testament to the incredible potential of positive reinforcement training. He's not just an asset; he's a valued partner and colleague," said Phanny, Ronin's handler, in a news release from APOPO.
The previous record was held by the African giant pouched rat Magawa, who detected 71 landmines and 38 pieces of unexploded ordnance over the course of five years.
APOPO has been training mine-detecting rats for over 25 years. Ronin underwent clicker training, where the rat learns to associate the sound of a click with a treat, to motivate him to learn how to smell explosives. He was also trained to work systemically within a grid pattern and to indicate landmines by scratching at the ground. Ronin and rats like him work for about 30 minutes a day, APOPO said. When they reach a certain age, they are moved to a retirement community and remain under APOPO's care. Magawa, the previous record-holder, was retired in 2021 and died in 2022.
Undetonated landmines and ordnance are a huge problem in Cambodia. Decades of conflict have left up to six million unexploded munitions in the country's soil, according to the Landmine Monitor's 2024 report. Since 1979, those buried bombs have caused about 20,000 deaths and 45,000 injuries, the Landmine Monitor reported. Demining efforts have been underway for decades, including the work done by Ronin and other APOPO rats. In 2023, there were only 32 reported casualties involving landmines in Cambodia, according to the Landmine Monitor. The site does not distinguish between injuries and deaths when referring to casualties.
The APOPO's efforts are not limited to Cambodia. The non-profit estimates that about 110 million landmines are buried across 60 countries. In 2023, 1,431 deaths were connected to these landmines. The agency said it continues to work to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance from the world.
"When we launched APOPO, the common view was that it would take around 500 years to clear all landmines from the Earth's surface," said Christine Cox, the CEO of APOPO. "25 years later, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and if the international community fully supports the collaboration of all demining operators, we could clear the remaining minefields in our lifetime."
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Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
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'Remember that this was a private club in its time and if you were Black or Jewish, forget about it,' a Chicago Park District official told the Tribune in 1984, when the club was renovated, prior to reopening as the South Shore Cultural Center. 'People who have never been here before will walk in and realize they are in the Taj Mahal.' South Shore: From exclusive country club to inclusive cultural centerThe club was worthy of such hyperbole. The main clubhouse, built in the then-tony Mediterranean Revival style, featured a cavernous main dining room and grand ballroom joined by a 'passaggio,' a broad and towering corridor. It was so long that three orchestras could play in different parts of the clubhouse without interfering with each other. Its facilities came to include a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, a trap-shooting range, lawn-bowling courts and stables, bridle paths and a dressage ring for equestrian members. 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Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it
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Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it
ATLANTA (AP) — Relatives of seven people who drowned in waters off a Georgia island after a ferry dock walkway collapsed announced Wednesday they filed a lawsuit against the companies that designed and built it. Dozens of people were standing on the metal walkway over the water between a ferry boat and a dock on Sapelo Island when it snapped in the middle. Many plunged into the water and got swept away by tidal currents, while others clung desperately to the hanging, fractured structure. The tragedy Oct. 19 struck as about 700 people visited Sapelo Island for a celebration of the tiny Hogg Hummock community founded by enslaved people who were emancipated after the Civil War. Reachable only by boat, it's one of the few Gullah-Geechee communities remaining in the South, where slaves worked on isolated island plantations retained much of their African heritage. 'It was supposed to be a celebration of Black pride, but it became a day of great, great, great Black loss of humanity and life,' civil rights attorney Ben Crump, one of several lawyers behind the lawsuit, told an Atlanta news conference. 'We're filing this lawsuit to speak to that tragedy.' Attorneys for the families of those killed and more than three dozen survivors say the 80-foot (24-meter) walkway was weak because of a lack of structural reinforcement, poor welding and failure by the Georgia firm that built it to follow design plans. The walkway was 'so poorly designed and constructed that any competent construction professional should have recognized the flimsy and unstable nature of the gangway,' the lawsuit says. Regina Brinson , one of the suing survivors, said she was on the crowded walkway when she heard a loud crack and saw family friend Carlotta McIntosh plunge into the water holding her walker. Brinson and her uncle, Isaiah Thomas, also fell. Brinson recalled prying her uncle's fingers from her shirt to avoid being dragged underwater. Both Thomas and McIntosh died. 'The pain doesn't get any easier whatsoever,' Brinson told the Atlanta news conference. Kimberly Wood said she tumbled from the collapsed walkway clutching her 2-year-old daughter. Her older girl, 8, clung to the dangling walkway's railing. Wood said she managed to tread water until she reached a life preserver tossed from the ferry boat. Her older daughter was rescued and treated for wounds to her hand, said Wood, who had an injured shoulder. 'I'm shaking now just taking about it,' said Wood, another plaintiff. The lawsuit targets four private contractors hired to design and rebuild the ferry dock and walkway for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The project was finished in 2021. The walkway was fabricated by McIntosh County business Crescent Equipment Co. Its attorney, Clinton Fletcher, declined to comment. The project's general contractor, Virginia-based Centennial Contractors Enterprises, said by email that it doesn't comment on pending litigation. Architecture and engineering firms also named as defendants did not immediately comment. The lawsuit doesn't target the Department of Natural Resources or any other Georgia state agency. It says the department relied on its private contractors to ensure the walkway was safely built, which was 'beyond the scope of the DNR's internal expertise and qualifications.' The agency told The Associated Press last year that the walkway should have been able to support the weight of 320 people. About 40 people were standing on it when it snapped. 'There was supposed to be a certified professional engineer that signed off on that part of the project and that was neglected,' said Chadrick Mance, a Savannah attorney representing nine of the injured. Filed in Gwinnett County State Court in metro Atlanta, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for negligence, wrongful deaths and personal injuries. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation by the state officials, said Haley Chafin, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources. State Attorney General Chris Carr also tapped a private engineering firm to perform an independent investigation. ___ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
