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Magawa, the African giant pouched rat who last September was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal – sometimes described as the George Cross for animals – for his “life-saving devotion to duty”, has retired at the age of seven. Malen, his handler, said the rat was “slowing down” with age and she wants to “respect his needs”. Magawa was part of an initiative by the Belgian charity Apopo to train the animals, known as HeroRATS, to detect landmines. In his five-year career Magawa sniffed out 71 landmines and many other unexploded munitions in Cambodia. Malen said: “Magawa’s performance has been unbeaten, and I have been proud to work side by side with him.” The rat will remain with the charity for a few more weeks to “mentor” new recruits and help them settle in. BBC News, 4 June 2021.

Since 2016 US and Canadian diplomats and other staff at Embassies have been reporting bizarre and long-lasting