Super Rats: A New Ally in Combating Wildlife Trafficking
A groundbreaking study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science highlights the potential of African giant pouched rats in detecting illegal wildlife trafficking. These rodents are known for their extraordinary sense of smell. During training, they demonstrated remarkable success in identifying wildlife contraband, like pangolin scales, rhino horns, elephant ivory, and African blackwood, even when mixed with other cargo.
The study, conducted by APOPO, a global nonprofit organization, trained 11 rats, eventually eight, through a series of steps, including basic obedience, scent detection, and real-world simulations. These rats achieved an 83 percent accuracy rate in identifying target substances. Compact and agile, the rats can maneuver through tight spaces in storage areas and transport vehicles, where traditional detection methods may fall short. Moreover, their training costs ? approximately $7,000 to $8,000 per rat ? are significantly lower than those for detection dogs or electronic inspection equipment prices.
APOPO plans to expand the rats’ roles by teaching them to trigger alarms upon detecting contraband and deploying them to warehouses and transportation hubs. The organization, known for training and using rats in landmine detection, aims to leverage their skills to combat wildlife trafficking, a global issue threatening biodiversity and public health. Experts emphasize that these efforts could provide African nations with cost-effective and efficient tools to address wildlife trafficking, offering hope for a sustainable future.
J.K. Park Staff Reporter junior/1732863693/1613368089
1. What is the special ability of African giant pouched rats?
2. What kinds of illegal wildlife items did the rats help detect?
3. How much does it cost to train one rat?
4. What other job have rats been trained for by APOPO?
1. Do you think it’s cool that rats can be trained to help detect illegal items? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever trained a pet or animal? What was it like?
3. If you could train an animal to do something helpful, what would it be?
4. How do you feel about using animals to help with important jobs like protecting wildlife?
A groundbreaking study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science highlights the potential of African giant pouched rats in detecting illegal wildlife trafficking. These rodents are known for their extraordinary sense of smell. During training, they demonstrated remarkable success in identifying wildlife contraband, like pangolin scales, rhino horns, elephant ivory, and African blackwood, even when mixed with other cargo.
