In the fight against wildlife trafficking, giant rats are emerging as an unexpected but powerful ally. African giant pouched rats are being trained to detect hidden wildlife contraband, including pangolin scales, elephant ivory, rhino horn, and African blackwood—highly sought-after items on the black market.
These intelligent rodents have already demonstrated their value in life-saving tasks, such as locating explosives and identifying the tuberculosis pathogen. Now, a recent study has shown that they could be a more cost-effective solution than sniffer dogs in tracking illegally trafficked wildlife. “Our study shows that we can train African giant pouched rats to detect wildlife products, even when concealed among other substances,” said Dr. Isabelle Szott, a researcher at the Okeanos Foundation and lead co-author of the study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science.
The rats also demonstrated impressive memory skills. “They continued to identify wildlife scents even after not encountering them for extended periods,” noted Dr. Kate Webb, assistant professor at Duke University and co-author of the study.
In field conditions, these rats will be equipped with custom-made vests containing a small ball attached to a microswitch. When the rats detect a target, they pull the ball, triggering a beep that alerts their handler. This innovative approach offers a practical method for tackling the global wildlife black market, which is valued at around $23 billion annually and poses a direct threat to biodiversity.
How It Works
Training rats to detect contraband involves a process of rewarding them for identifying specific smells. They are introduced to the scent of ivory or rhino horn in a controlled environment, receiving treats for positive identifications. Through repetition and reward, the rats learn to associate these illegal animal products with food, making them efficient and reliable at sniffing out hidden contraband in places like airports, shipping containers, and trucks.
Dr. Szott believes these rats could soon be deployed in major transport hubs worldwide, including regions like the Middle East and North Africa, where poachers often smuggle illegal wildlife products. “Once these rats start making successful discoveries, demand for them could grow quickly,” she told.
Key Benefits of Using Rats in Conservation Efforts
- Cost-Effective: Compared to training and handling dogs, rats are relatively low-cost to train and maintain.
- Mobility and Size: Their small size allows them to access tight and concealed spaces, which are often overlooked by other detection methods.
- Speed and Efficiency: Rats can cover large areas quickly, making them ideal for screening large cargo shipments or crowded markets.
- Non-Invasive and Scalable: Since rats can work without posing any danger to themselves or others, scaling their use across multiple locations could strengthen wildlife enforcement efforts globally.
The Broader Impact
This innovative approach has significant implications for wildlife conservation. By stopping ivory and rhino horn smuggling at checkpoints, authorities could weaken the black-market network that fuels poaching. If the success of these trained rats proves scalable, it could serve as a blueprint for detecting other illegal wildlife products, contributing to more sustainable ecosystems and saving endangered species.
The APOPO Training and Research Centre in Tanzania has led the rat training, naming their recruits Kirsty, Marty, Attenborough, Irwin, Betty, Teddy, Ivory, Ebony, Desmond, Thoreau, and Fossey. In their training, the rats were taught to hold their noses over the target scent for several seconds, rewarding them with flavored pellets when they succeeded. They were also exposed to common masking odors, such as coffee beans, electric cables, and washing powder, which traffickers use to disguise wildlife products.
The rats have shown excellent retention, sometimes recalling specific scents months after initial training—a performance comparable to that of sniffer dogs. Interest in deploying these remarkable rats is already emerging from several countries, including France and Singapore.
The research team is also exploring how these vests could adapt for use in challenging environments like cargo holds at international ports, where much of the illegal wildlife trade goes undetected. “The vests are a promising example of hardware that could support different environments, such as shipping ports, to detect smuggled wildlife,” Dr. Webb explained.
With continued training and international interest, these “hero rats” may soon be on the front lines of wildlife protection, providing authorities worldwide with a unique tool to stop trafficking before it reaches its destination.
