Giant rats sniff out wildlife traffickers
Police dogs have been used to sniff out bombs and drugs. Now, rats could be the latest weapon in the battle against wildlife trafficking.
“They have a very, very sensitive sense of smell,” said Daphne Carlson-Bremer, programming officer for combating wildlife trafficking at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs.
The African giant pouched rat has successfully sniffed out land mines and tuberculosis, but now the rodents are being tested to fight against wildlife trafficking, which is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Carlson-Bremer said these rats are being tested to detect pangolins, one of the most trafficked mammals in the world.
Pangolins, Carlson-Bremer said, are scaly mammals that look like a cross between an anteater and an armadillo. The animals come from Africa and Asia. They are poached for their scales and meat. Their scales are used for medicinal purposes, and their meat is seen as a delicacy in some parts of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment