African giant pouched rats proved adept at detecting four commonly trafficked products derived from endangered species including rhino horn and elephant ivory.
Trained rats could help counter the multi-billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade by deploying their heightened sense of smell to catch trafficked animal products.
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| An African giant pouched rat sniffs boxes looking for wildlife products APOPO |
The nonprofit organisation APOPO already uses southern giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) to sniff for landmines in post-conflict zones and to detect tuberculosis.
In a new study, Isabelle Szott and Kate Webb at APOPO and their colleagues tested the ability of the pouched rats to detect four commonly trafficked items from endangered species: rhino horn, elephant ivory, pangolin scales and African blackwood. The goal was to test the accuracy of scent detection before eventually deploying the rodents at international ports.
The rats were able to accurately detect the illicit materials hidden in containers and packages even when they were masked by other scents, with false alarms below 2 per cent. The chosen materials are notable because, between 2015 and 2021, rhinos, pangolins and elephants accounted for 73 per cent of wildlife trafficking seizures by authorities.
The illegal wildlife trade is one of the leading causes of the biodiversity crisis, but cracking down on it is resource-intensive and politically challenging, especially across international borders. Current methods to combat wildlife trafficking, such as screening shipping containers with X-rays at crowded ports, are also expensive and difficult to implement at scale.
The researchers say that sniffer rats offer an alternative, low-cost way to impede international wildlife trafficking networks.
“The rats have particular skill sets that can complement existing screening tools,” says Webb, who is now at Duke University in North Carolina. “They can be easily transferred between trainers, and they are small enough to be lifted onto containers and navigate tight spaces. They also have an average lifespan of eight years, but we have rats as old as eleven years in retirement.”
“Wildlife smuggling is often conducted by individuals engaged in other illegal activities, including human, drug and arms trafficking. Therefore, deploying rats to combat wildlife trafficking may assist with the global fight against networks that exploit humans and nature,” says Szott, who now works at the Okeanos Foundation.
Journal reference:
Frontiers in Conservation Science DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2024.1444126