> Rats have low training and maintenance costs, flexibly work with multiple handlers, have a long lifespan, and a sophisticated sense of smell. Their small size also offers unique capabilities for the screening of shipping containers, such as being able to navigate densely packed areas or be lifted to assess contents of sealed containers by screening ventilation systems. Future directions include assessing operational feasibility of deploying rats at ports.
A fascinating read. A team of 2 rats were able to get a 100% detection rate with very few false positives. Would be a transformative change for import customs if it translates to real-world settings