Giant African rats may soon be the key to fighting illegal wildlife trafficking. New research from nonprofit APOPO, published Oct. 29, shows that African giant pouched rats can be trained to ...

That being said, the team have already started preparing for a time when the rats could be deployed in a real-life setting, ...

More information: Ratting on wildlife crime: Training African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife, Frontiers in Conservation Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2024.1444126 ...

A new study shows that African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife, even when it has been concealed among other substances. Image: APOPO Pangolin scales, elephant tusks, rhino ...

Now, a species of giant pouched rat has been trained to fulfill a similar role in finding illegal wildlife products. The rodents who underwent the training are African giant pouched rats and ...