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They want to use the superpowers of these rodents to fight smuggling

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Scientists have managed to teach Gambian giant rats to detect illegal products from endangered plants and animals. These include pangolin scales, ivory, rhinoceros horns and African ebony wood. Work is underway to use these extraordinary skills of rodents in ports that are struggling with the problem of smuggling.

Gambian giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus) naturally occur in northern Africa. An adult individual can be up to 90 centimeters long (including the tail) and weigh about 1.5 kilograms. Rodents have very poor eyesight, which means they rely heavily on their senses of hearing and smell.

So far Cricetomys gambianus were used to detect explosives and the pathogen causing tuberculosis. Now scientists, writing in “Frontiers in Conversation Science”, argue that after appropriate training, these rodents can also identify the smell of products from endangered plants and animals. These include ivory and rhino horns.

– Moreover, rats can detect the smells of wild animals even though they have not had contact with them for a long time – emphasizes the study's co-author, Dr. Kate Webb from the American university Duke University.

How the training went

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The study, which involved at least 11 Gambian rats, was divided into several stages. In the first, the rodents learned to hold their noses for a few seconds in the place where the appropriate scent was sprayed. When they performed a task well, they were rewarded with rat treats.

During the second stage of the study Cricetomys gambianus were exposed to the smells of cables, coffee beans or washing powder – products that are often used by smugglers to mask the smell of smuggled goods.

– During this stage, rats learn to pay attention only to the scents of wild animals that were their target, ignoring the others – says Dr. Isabelle Szott, a researcher at the Okeanos Foundation.

Gambian rats were also trained to remember smells. As it turned out, despite months of no contact with smells, they were able to recognize them perfectly. At the end of the study, eight rodents were able to identify four commonly smuggled products among 146 non-target substances.

Gambian giant rat Shutterstock

New port helpers

Scientists say that properly trained Gambian rats can become a valuable aid in the fight against smuggling.

– Existing screening tools are expensive and time-consuming, and cargo screening urgently needs to be increased. Rats are economical odor detection tools. They can easily get into tight spaces, such as cargo in packed shipping containers, or be lifted high to sweep through the ventilation systems of closed containers, Dr. Szott said.

According to researchers, rats could be equipped with a special vest with a ball attached to it that makes a squeaking sound. In this way, they would inform their handlers when a target was detected.

– Vests are a perfect example of the development of equipment that can be useful in a variety of situations and tasks – added Dr. Kate Webb.

The authors emphasize that preparing rats to work in ports requires the development of appropriate methods, because the conditions there differ from those in the laboratory where the research was carried out.

Main photo source: Shutterstock



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