Giant 'hero rats' are solving wildlife crime
BBC Wildlife|January 2025
The rodents' super sense of smell helps them detect ivory, horn and other illegal products
James Fair
Giant 'hero rats' are solving wildlife crime

NOBODY LOVES A DIRTY RAT, RIGHT? BUT what about an African giant pouched rat, a Goliath-sized rodent weighing 1.5-2kg (three to four times the size of our own brown rat) and native to the savannahs of southern Africa?

Over the past 25 years, these giant rats - known as 'hero rats' by the people who train them - have been used to detect deadly landmines and tuberculosis pathogens in medical samples.

Now, there's even more reason to love these rodents - they could play an important role in fighting the illegal wildlife trade, thanks to their amazing sense of smell.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2025 من BBC Wildlife.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2025 من BBC Wildlife.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.