Salute to one fallen Comrade Magawa the landmine sniffer Rat died at the age of 8 years ... Magawa, the famous mine-clearing rat who was awarded a gold medal for his heroism, has died at the age of eight. In a five-year career, the rodent sniffed out over 100 landmines and other explosives in Cambodia. Trained to detect a chemical compound within the explosives, Magawa cleared more than 141,000 square meters The charity said the African giant pouch rat passed away peacefully at the weekend