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feAture Saturday 26 September 2020
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Giant rat wins animal hero award for sniffing out landmines HEALTH

By DANICA KIRKA clearance because of their DOCTOR ON DUTY
Associated Press African origins and lifespan Oranjestad
LONDON (AP) — A rat has of up to eight years. Hospital 7:00 pm / 10:00pm
for the first time won a Brit- Their size allows the rats Tel. 527 4000
ish charity's top civilian to walk across mine fields
award for animal bravery, without triggering the ex- San Nicolas
receiving the honor for plosives - and do it much Imsan 24 hours
searching out unexploded more quickly than people. Tel.524 8833
landmines in Cambodia. The PDSA's Gold Medal has Women in Difficulties
Magawa, a giant African been awarded since 2002 PHARMACY ON DUTY
pouched rat, was award- to recognize bravery and Oranjestad:
ed the PDSA's Gold Medal acts of exceptional devo- Oduber Tel. 582 1780
for his "lifesaving bravery tion by animals in civilian San Nicolas:
San Nicolas Tel. 584 5712
and devotion" after dis- service. It is considered the Women in Difficulties
covering 39 landmines animal equivalent of the OTHER
and 28 items of unexplod- In this undated photo issued by the PDSA, People's Dispensary George Cross, a decora- Dental Clinic 587 9850
ed ordinance in the past for Sick Animals, Cambodian landmine detection rat, Magawa tion for heroism. Blood Bank Aruba 587 0002
seven years, according to is photographed wearing his PDSA Gold Medal, the animal Before Magawa, all the re- Urgent Care 586 0448
the charity. equivalent of the George Cross, in Siem, Cambodia. cipients were dogs.q Walk-In Doctor’s Clinic
Associated Press
First known as the People's +297 588 0539
Women in Difficulties
Dispensary for Sick Animals, be trained to detect scents APOPO decided that giant EMERGENCY
PDSA started as a free vet- and will work at repeti- African pouched rats were
erinary clinic in 1917 and tive tasks for food rewards, best suited to landmine Police 100
has heroic animals since Oranjestad 527 3140
Noord
527 3200
1943. Sudoku Sta. Cruz 527 2900
Magawa was trained by San Nicolas 584 5000
a Belgian organization Police Tipline 11141
that has taught rats to find Ambulancia 911
landmines for more than 20 Fire Dept. 115
years. The group, APOPO, Red Cross 582 2219
works with programs in TAXI SERVICES
Cambodia, Angola, Zim- Taxi Tas 587 5900
babwe and Mozambique Prof. Taxi 588 0035
to clear millions of mines Taxi D.T.S. 587 2300
left behind from wars and Taxi Serv. Aruba 583 3232
conflicts.Magawa is the A1 Taxi Serv. 280 2828
group's most successful rat, Women in Difficulties
having cleared more than TRAVEL INFO
141,000 square meters of Aruba Airport 524 2424
land, the equivalent of American Airlines 582 2700
some 20 soccer fields. Avianca 588 0059
APOPO chief executive Jet Blue 588 2244
Christophe Cox described Surinam 582 7896
Magawa's medal as a Women in Difficulties
huge honor "for our animal AID FOUNDATIONS
trainers.''
"But also it is big for the FAVI- Visually Impaired
Tel. 582 5051
people in Cambodia, and Solution on Page 14
all the people around the Alcoholics Anonymous
Tel. 736 2952
world who are suffering Narcotics Anonymous
from landmines,'' Cox said. Tel. 583 8989
"The PDSA Gold Medal Women in Difficulties
award brings the problem Tel. 583 5400
of landmines to global at- Centre for Diabetes
tention." Tel. 524 8888
More than 60 million peo- Child Abuse Prevention
ple in 59 countries continue Tel. 582 4433
to be threatened by land- Quota Club Tel. 525 2672
Women in Difficulties
mines and unexploded General Info
ordinance, according to
APOPO. In 2018, landmines Phone Directory Tel. 118
and other remnants of war
killed or injured 6,897 peo-
ple, the group says.
While many rodents can

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