Rats could help fight illegal wildlife trade 

Researchers trained African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife and plant species including elephant ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horn, and African blackwood. The study showed that the rats, which have previously been trained to detect explosives and the tuberculosis-causing pathogen, could recall the scents of the illegal items for several months. “Our study shows that we can train African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife, even when it has been concealed among other substances,” said Dr Isabelle Szott, a researcher at the Okeanos Foundation, and first co-author of the study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science. Because the study was conducted in a controlled environment, researchers said that the next step is to develop ways rats can work within ports where smuggled wildlife is often trafficked.  

Read more at Frontiers in Conservation Science