There’s a saying: “Never stay more than 6 feet away from a mouse.” Although I’m here BBC Science Focus, we concluded that this measurement is inaccurate, but may soon become more accurate for those involved in illegal wildlife trade (IWT).
The research team used the anatomical structures of endangered animals such as pangolin scales, elephant ivory, and rhinoceros horns on African giant pouch rats to provide a low-cost detection system to prevent illegal smuggling. I trained myself to be able to distinguish scents.
– Hmmmm – Swarms of rats have been shown to be able to identify these items even when hidden inside other materials, and to remember their smells even after months of no exposure.
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Why rats?
this is not the first time Apopo The Tanzania-based nonprofit organization tasked with conducting this study recognizes the potential of a super rat workforce.
The organization aims to provide low-tech, cost-effective solutions to pressing humanitarian challenges across Africa and has previously developed the HeroRATS technology to detect landmines and the pathogen that causes tuberculosis. I trained the pack.
Dr. Isabel Zottofirst co-author of new research Published in frontiers of conservation science, It helped to identify the potential for IWT detection in rats.
“There is an urgent need to strengthen cargo inspection, as existing inspection tools are expensive and time-consuming,” Schott explained.
“The APOPO rat is a cost-effective odor detection tool that can easily access tight spaces, such as cargo inside packed shipping containers, and can also be lifted high to block ventilation systems in closed containers.”
rat boot camp
The new research rats, Kirsty, Marty, Attenborough, Irwin, Betty, Teddy, Ivory, Ebony, Desmond, Thoreau, and Fosse, have undergone several rigorous training stages.
They first learned to “nose” a target’s scent for a few seconds to acquire a flavored pellet. Next, we discussed common scents used to hide wild animals in real-life human trafficking, such as electrical wires, coffee beans, and detergent.
The final step was retention training, where I re-experienced scents I had not been exposed to for 5 and 8 months respectively. Despite several months of no exposure, the rats showed perfect memory retention scores, suggesting that their cognitive retention performance is similar to that of dogs.
By the end of the training, eight of the rats were able to identify four commonly smuggled wild animals among 146 non-target substances.
Why now?
Statistics on IWT (defined as the illegal capture, killing, or harvesting of animals or plants) have become increasingly bleak in recent years. of wild animals of the world fund (WWF) estimates that it is currently the fourth largest illicit trade in the world, with a value of more than £15 billion a year.
They also estimate that around 55 African elephants are killed for their tusks every day, amounting to more than 20,000 a year. It also found that rhino poaching increased by 9,000 percent in South Africa between 2007 and 2014.
While this clearly has a negative impact on wildlife populations, a 2019 study found that world bank It also estimates that long-term global losses to ecosystems affected by IWT are approximately $1-2 trillion (£700-1.5 trillion) per year.
Evaluation of crime
Scientists involved in the new detection study have already identified the next steps for the HEROrat project. The idea is to develop methods that allow rats to operate within ports, which are likely to be hotspots for smuggled wildlife.
To this end, the rats are outfitted with custom-made vests (possibly inspired by Virgin Atlantic’s iconic red flight attendant uniforms). When they pull a small ball attached to the chest of their vest with their paws, it makes a beeping sound. In this way, the rat can alert the handler when it detects a target.
“The vest is a great example of hardware development that can be useful across a variety of settings and tasks, including shipping ports to detect smuggled wildlife,” the co-authors said. Dr. Kate Webb.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
