Saving the pangolin: giant rats trained to sniff out world's most trafficked mammal
by Associated Press from on (#22CHZ)
Rats' agility and keen sense of smell will one day be used to reach parts of shipping containers that sniffer dogs cannot reach
The pangolin - the world's most heavily trafficked mammal - might have a new champion: rats that will be trained to sniff out trafficked pangolin parts in shipments heading from Africa to Asia.
Ten to 15 African giant pouched rats are being reared in Tanzania to detect pungent pangolin remains as well as smuggled hardwood timber. They are just a few weeks old and most are still with their mothers.