The Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) said a male rat named Ronin is doing a good job searching for bombs and explosives in Cambodia and its capabilities are close to surpassing its predecessor, Magawa.

Apopo SUA Project Communications Officer Humphhrey Makusa said Ronin was born on August 13, 2019 and weighs 1.5kg.

Makusa made the comments at the project centre at the university and noted that Ronin was sent to Cambodia on March 6, 2021 after qualifying for the exam.

Through the project, SUA is researching and teaching rats how to search for landmines and explosives and the qualifiers are transported to work in affected areas including Cambodia.

Makusa said the center is conducting rat research and training and so far has at least 164 rats and 64 of them are in training to work on the explosives.

Mouse Magawa qualified for the exams in 2016 and was sent to work in search of explosives and explosives in Cambodia.

Magawa was credited with helping the discovery of more than 108 landmines in Cambodia.

In September 2020, the British Animal Treatment NGO (PDSA) awarded rat Magawa a gold medal for bravery and sacrifice to save lives in Cambodia.

Magawa retired in 2021 and after that the Apopo facility sent 45 other rats to the country, including Ronin.

Makusa said, Ronin was trained for a year and started working on March 6, 2021 and so far his efforts are about to surpass Magawa.

The rodent trainer at the centre, Abouswai Msuya, said that for more than 30 years they have taught rats to detect isolated landmines.

Msuya said training starts when mice are four weeks old by putting them in a living environment with humans to release them from fear and fear when they see humans and new environments.

He said the rats are taught to hear certain ringing that suggests food has been placed in place and are also taught to distinguish the smell of underground TNT bombs from other odors.

"These rats we train can detect bombs even if they have spent 30 years on the ground," Msuya said, adding that the rats who received the training had worked in Mozambique and are now in Angola and Cambodia.